Zhang Zhenshan quickly disappeared along the mountain path. Since it was already dusk, Li Tan returned directly to his residence in the bamboo grove. The previous events had caused no ripples, except that the recent cancellation of Elder Su’s lessons had triggered complaints from many people.
Li Tan had originally planned to cultivate for a few days, but in reality, that wasn’t quite feasible.
Qiu Jue and Xue Ying hurried over not long after.
The two sat down at the table while Li Tan sat on the bed.
“Big Brother Li, who was that old man?” Xue Ying asked curiously.
It was difficult to answer honestly since he hadn’t received permission from others.
So Li Tan brushed it off, saying, “Just an old man with great power.”
“Actually, I think Big Brother Li is more impressive,” Xue Ying said earnestly.
“Why do you think that?” Li Tan asked.
“Because I heard from other apprentices that the old man is especially fierce; he nearly beat many kitchen helpers to death. When we met him just now, he was really terrifying,” Qiu Jue interjected, rubbing his head with a wronged expression.
“Yeah, I got a lump on my head the moment I saw him!” Xue Ying continued, suppressing a laugh. “Then when I mentioned Big Brother Li’s name, his attitude did a complete 180-degree turn, as if he had become a different person.”
“It’s so strange. Big Brother Li, hehe, what exactly happened between you and him in that short time two days ago?” Qiu Jue looked extremely interested.
Why did that sound so strange?
Li Tan gave Qiu Jue a light slap on the forehead, annoyed. “Why ask so many questions? Go cultivate quickly.”
Qiu Jue tried to protect his head but was too slow. He said aggrievedly, “I mean, wasn’t I here to attend Big Brother Li’s lesson?”
“You should have said that earlier.”
Li Tan shot him a glance and turned to Xue Ying. “Did you remember what I told you last time?”
Xue Ying and Qiu Jue nodded together.
“Then repeat the main points.”
Their expressions stiffened simultaneously, and they stammered out a rough summary.
“You obviously didn’t review at all. Well, I can’t blame you. There’s been a lot going on these past two days. Anyway, I’ll explain the cultivation techniques to you again today.”
As Li Tan spoke slowly and clearly, Xue Ying interrupted, asking hesitantly, “By the way, what about the bet with Elder Su?”
“Ignore it.”
Li Tan replied.
Xue Ying was clearly surprised, stuttering, “But—” Li Tan sighed lightly and countered, “Does that mean you wouldn’t want to cultivate seriously without that bet?”
Xue Ying and Qiu Jue shook their heads.
“There you go. Just work hard on your cultivation. Don’t keep thinking about such trivial matters. Focus when you cultivate.”
Xue Ying and Qiu Jue exchanged glances, their admiration for Li Tan growing even stronger.
At that moment, they didn’t realize how fortunate they were—to be receiving personal instruction from the Human Emperor himself. Across the entire Jiuzhou region of humanity, the number of people honored with such a privilege could be counted on one’s fingers.
Night fell, and the flickering lamplight illuminated the gentle sound of teaching, seemingly carrying a magical allure that could captivate one’s soul, fully immersing the two young apprentices.
A day passed in the blink of an eye, and in the early morning, numerous notices were posted on the bulletin board.
A notice reported the theft of a spirit chicken from the inner sect’s herb garden, offering a reward of fifty spirit stones for information leading to the thief.
Another notice dated the evening of xx this month offered a reward of twenty spirit stones for reporting suspicious individuals.
There were all sorts of notices, even a “marriage proposal announcement” from some prankster senior apprentice.
However, the most noticeable and important notice was this: all miscellaneous apprentice tasks were suspended for one day, with free time allocated accordingly.
It was said that this was a tradition of the Tianlang Sect, a fixed day each month set aside for rest.
That morning, Li Tan gave Qiu Jue and Xue Ying extra lessons, but in the afternoon, when he intended to cultivate on his own, these two dragged him along to go camping outdoors.
It was said to be the favorite activity among miscellaneous apprentices during their days off—both a way to relax and to strengthen relationships among apprentices.
Li Tan didn’t really mind this, after all, expecting these miscellaneous apprentices to stay locked in intense cultivation for months wasn’t very realistic. Thus, he reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged away.
They chose a location at the back of the mountain for their camping trip. While fetching water, Xue Ying accidentally discovered a small lake, which made their tasks significantly easier and also conveniently allowed them to enjoy themselves.
Led by Xue Ying, Li Tan’s group headed directly toward the lake.
While leaving the densely populated area of the miscellaneous apprentices’ buildings, Li Tan still endured quite a bit of “taking advantage of someone when they’re down.” Apparently, many people believed Elder Su had gone to the prison department to expose Li Tan’s misdeeds.
Qiu Jue, watching them with disdain, expressed his dissatisfaction: “I wonder what expressions these people will have on their faces in a couple of days.”
Most likely not good ones—after all, the supposedly “doomed” Li Tan would still be alive and kicking within the sect.
After passing through the building area, they walked along the mountain path for about an incense stick’s worth of time, then through a forest without a clear path for half that time, when Xue Ying suddenly cheered, “We’re here!”
Li Tan looked around. It was indeed a great spot—no dangerous beasts nearby and the scenery was pleasant.
However, normally speaking, even if there were beasts, they wouldn’t be found on the mountains where human sects resided.
“Junior apprentice Xue Ying, where’s the wild rabbit I caught yesterday?” Qiu Jue asked, putting down a large bag of random items.
Xue Ying turned her head slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well, that—” Qiu Jue suddenly had a bad feeling. “You didn’t forget to bring it, did you?”
“No!” “Whew! Then bring it out!”
“Senior apprentice, I’m sorry, I set it free.” Qiu Jue stared in disbelief. “Why did you release it?”
“Because it was so cute. It would be too cruel to kill it.” Qiu Jue immediately developed a dark line on his forehead. “Fei Fu! When you usually eat rabbit meat at the dining hall, why don’t you say it’s pitiful?!!!” Li Tan recalled his previous experience of surviving in the wilderness with Tang Leyin and somewhat agreed with Qiu Jue’s sentiment.
Considering his role as a senior figure, he didn’t want to spoil the enthusiasm of the two excited young apprentices, so he offered to go and catch some game right away.
Although he said that, doing it was another matter. After walking a short distance, Li Tan soon realized that there were hardly any dangerous beasts on the entire mountain. However, a thought struck him, and he quickly came up with an idea—and an appetite.
About a quarter of an hour later, Li Tan returned to the lakeside, holding two extremely beautiful chickens.
Qiu Jue scratched his head in confusion. “These pheasants look a bit strange. This is the first time I’ve seen ones like this.”
Li Tan explained matter-of-factly, “Well, being near a cultivation sect, the species here are naturally a bit different from those in the mundane world. Just eat them. They smell delicious.”
“Has Big Brother Li eaten these before?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t this a specialty of the Tianlang Sect? Since when?”
“When did I ever say it was a Tianlang Sect specialty? Stop adding scenes that don’t exist.”
With laughter and chatter, the fragrant roasted chicken was soon ready.
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