“Senior apprentice-brother, it seems lively down there. Could it be that many people have come?” Feng Bu Jue’s cultivation was much higher than Zhang Erdog’s, and his five senses were also far more sensitive.
“Oh, is that so?” Zhang Erdog showed slight confusion, then stood up and looked toward the mountainside, only to find it pitch black, as if many people were gathered there.
“Senior apprentice-brother, it’s time to start work. This time, more people have come. The sect leader’s pill-refining skills are indeed highly attractive.” Zhang Erdog said with a smile.
The more people came seeking pills, the happier Zhang Erdog became. After all, it meant increased popularity. With his current status among the outer disciples, everyone called him “Brother Dog.” If his reputation grew even further, wouldn’t they respectfully address him as “Master Dog?”
…
“Senior apprentice-brother, some outer disciples are following us up,” one of the pill-refining disciples from Dan Ding Peak noticed a group of outer disciples trailing behind and spoke up.
“Hmph, it’s better they followed. We’ll show them who truly stands first in the Holy Sect,” Li Shun coldly snorted.
Li Shun knew there was no need to wait. If things continued like this, how could they survive? Their comfortable life within the sect relied precisely on countless outer disciples coming to them for pill refining.
But now, Nameless Peak had seized their resources, causing their profits from refining pills to continuously diminish. If this continued, they wouldn’t even get a drop of broth.
When Zhang Erdog and his companion saw a large group of junior apprentices approaching, they immediately smiled and said, “Fellow apprentices, don’t rush. Line up and come one by one.”
From Zhang Erdog’s perspective, there were simply too many people today. He needed to maintain order. Otherwise, chaos would ensue, creating a mess.
“What line? Call your sect leader out to us!” Li Shun stepped forward angrily.
Though Nameless Peak had been granted to them by the sect leader to establish an affiliated sect, Li Shun held them in utter contempt. They were authentic disciples of Dan Ding Peak, and he himself was a disciple of the revered elder of Dan Ding Peak, holding a high status there.
As for this so-called affiliated sect, Li Shun didn’t take it seriously at all.
Zhang Erdog and Feng Bu Jue, who had been smiling moments ago, immediately changed expressions. Where did these guys come from, and how dare they be so audacious? Demanding their sect leader’s presence upon arrival was utterly disrespectful.
“Hmph, listen well. This is Senior Apprentice-brother Li Shun, a disciple under the revered elder of Dan Ding Peak. Hurry up and bring out your so-called sect leader,” said a flutist beside Li Shun, puffing up his chest and exuding an air of arrogance.
Upon hearing “Dan Ding Peak,” Zhang Erdog and Feng Bu Jue immediately understood. It seemed these people had come to cause trouble.
Although the two hadn’t visited Dan Ding Peak recently, they were aware of its situation—it must have been dire. After all, when the sect leader took action, could there even be any survivors?
“Ridiculous! Do you think Nameless Peak is a place where you can act recklessly? For years, Dan Ding Peak has been exploiting the hard-earned pill-refining materials of the outer disciples. Now our sect leader can no longer bear to see the disciples’ efforts forcibly seized by you, so he opened the peak to refine pills for the disciples’ benefit. Yet you still dare to come here and cause trouble!” Zhang Erdog’s expression turned stern as he rebuked them sharply. He had no intention whatsoever of leaving room for future encounters, unlike the saying “leave a path when offending someone.”
“Hmph, sharp-tongued. You two think you can block Dan Ding Peak? You’re just daydreaming. Hurry up and bring out your sect leader,” Li Shun said arrogantly, looking down on the two with disdain.
What capability could Nameless Peak, with merely three members, possibly have to challenge Dan Ding Peak?
…
Lin Fan had already learned about the commotion outside. He had anticipated the scenario of Dan Ding Peak coming to cause trouble.
This was an inevitable matter.
However, Lin Fan wasn’t afraid of them. What could Dan Ding Peak do? Would they even prevent others from refining pills?
As the saying goes, competitors are natural enemies. It wasn’t impossible to reform them, but Lin Fan was too lazy to say much to these people.
At this moment, Lin Fan stepped out from inside the house.
Seeing their sect leader arrive, Zhang Erdog and Feng Bu Jue immediately stepped forward. “Sect Leader, people from Dan Ding Peak have come to cause trouble.”
“Mm, I already know,” Lin Fan nodded calmly and approached the group from Dan Ding Peak.
“You’re Lin Fan?” Li Shun stepped forward, staring directly at Lin Fan, his eyes flashing with disdain.
In Li Shun’s eyes, this person wasn’t impressive at all.
As for competing in pill refining, it was simply suicidal.
“What do you want?” Lin Fan asked calmly.
“Hehehe,” Li Shun sneered upon hearing this. Now this person was asking what they wanted? Did he even realize his own wrongdoing?
“What qualification does your Nameless Peak have to refine pills? Do you even have the sect’s permission?” Li Shun sternly questioned, then turned to the outer disciples behind him. He spread his arms wide and shouted, “Fellow outer apprentices, don’t be tempted by temporary cheapness and end up harming yourselves. The art of pill refining must be passed down through generations. Dan Ding Peak has existed since the founding of the Holy Sect. If you greedily take advantage of temporary bargains and consume unguaranteed pills, you’ll regret it when problems arise later!”
Li Shun’s words sounded reasonable, recounting Dan Ding Peak’s history. Ordinary people might have been fooled, but to the outer disciples, it was just a joke.
If Dan Ding Peak hadn’t been exploiting them so harshly in the past, they might have believed it. But now, it was nothing more than a laughable story.
“You came to Nameless Peak precisely because you’ve run out of profits to exploit. You’ve been profiting from the hard-earned pill materials of fellow disciples, becoming a great scourge to the sect!”
“Just look at how many talented disciples have been hindered because you’ve been charging excessive fees, causing pill shortages and preventing breakthroughs. They wasted precious years of cultivation. Now you dare to come here and question us? It’s utterly unreasonable!” Lin Fan said indignantly.
At this moment, some outer disciples began murmuring. What their senior master had just said made perfect sense. Each of them or their fellow apprentices had experienced such situations before. Back then, they were helpless, but now, reflecting on it, they felt increasingly angry.
If not for the extreme oppression, how could such valuable time be wasted?
“Hmph, nonsense!” Li Shun hadn’t expected the other party to be so audacious and became furious.
“Erdog, show them out. From now on, no one from Dan Ding Peak or dogs are allowed in!” Lin Fan flicked his sleeve and turned to leave without further acknowledgment.
“Yes, Sect Leader,” Zhang Erdog replied, then urged, “Hurry up and leave, leave.”
Li Shun looked at the current situation and burst into laughter. “With just the two of you, do you really think you can drive us away? We won’t leave until this is settled. Nameless Peak won’t have peace today unless you explain yourselves.”
“That’s right, settle this!”
“If you refuse to give us a proper explanation for monopolizing the outer disciples, we’ll definitely take this matter to the sect leader himself.”
…
At this moment, Lin Fan stopped walking. The disciples from Dan Ding Peak sneered, thinking he had been intimidated. However, when Lin Fan’s contemptuous gaze swept over them, they felt a chill run down their spines.
“Two?” Lin Fan softly echoed the words, then suddenly shouted loudly, “Where are my junior apprentices?”
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