Chapter 6: Strange Things Begin to Happen

Mister Wen was extremely pleased that Han Li devoted all his time to cultivation. However, he still thought that the progress of his cultivation was too slow.

Recently, Mister Wen's condition had worsened, and he coughed more frequently. The worse his health became, the more he focused on Han Li's cultivation.

His tone of voice revealed a growing sense of urgency.

It was clear that Mister Wen placed great importance on Han Li. Not only had he promised to give him more silver than the other disciples, but he also treated him as if he were the most precious treasure in the world.

However, Han Li, who had reached the third level of the cultivation technique, had become extremely sensitive. Without even realizing it, he could sense the hidden greed and desire in Mister Wen's affectionate gaze and intimate concern.

This realization made Han Li's spine shiver. Mister Wen's expressions made him feel as if he were being treated as an object rather than a person.

Over time, this made him increasingly uneasy, and he began to wonder if there was something Mister Wen wanted from him.

But of course, there was nothing. He could clearly answer that himself. He thought it was because he had become overly sensitive due to his intense focus on cultivation. He even felt ungrateful.

However, deep down, he still harbored a sense of caution.

This feeling only grew stronger over time.

Now, Han Li faced a significant problem. After years of cultivation, the precious herbs provided by Mister Wen were almost depleted.

Han Li was not a prodigy, and without these herbs, his cultivation progress would stagnate. Despite Mister Wen's efforts, which included investing all his resources and wealth to support Han Li's cultivation, Han Li could not meet his expectations. He felt guilty every time he saw Mister Wen and found it hard to face him.

The truly strange thing was that Mister Wen, despite his high martial arts skills, could not fully grasp the detailed progress of Han Li's cultivation. He could only roughly gauge it by feeling his pulse.

Thus, he did not realize that Han Li was in trouble. Feeling uneasy, Han Li decided to be honest with Mister Wen about his lack of progress.

When Mister Wen heard that Han Li had made no progress in his cultivation for 1-2 years, his sallow complexion turned pale, and his expressionless face became even more distorted.

However, he did not blame Han Li. Instead, he instructed him to continue his cultivation diligently and said he would go down the mountain to find more herbs.

* * *

Two days later, Mister Wen set out alone from Qixian Gate, carrying the tools needed to gather herbs. With Mister Wen gone, Han Li was left alone.

His only senior brother and close friend, Zhang Shixie, had suddenly disappeared two years ago when he reached the third level of the Shangjia Technique. He left only a farewell letter, stating that he wanted to go out into the world to gain experience. This incident caused a significant stir within Qixian Gate.

It was later revealed that after Mister Wen intervened, the person who recommended Zhang Shixie and his family were spared from trouble.

This sudden event left Han Li deeply troubled for several days. He speculated that Zhang Shixie might have been too afraid to cultivate the fourth level of the Shangjia Technique and thus disappeared.

* * *

After several days of fruitless cultivation, Han Li left Shen Shou Valley and began to wander around Sunset Mountain.

As he walked further, he heard the sounds of weapons clashing and people cheering from the edge of a cliff.

Curious, Han Li headed toward the cliff where the sounds were coming from. There, he saw an incredible scene.

Below the cliff, hidden by trees, over a hundred people were gathered.

Even people had climbed nearby tall trees to watch the spectacle. The crowd surrounded two groups of people who were facing each other with intense hostility.

On the left were about a dozen people, and on the right were about seven or eight.

Han Li noticed that both the spectators and the combatants were all around his age. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Among the many people, he easily recognized familiar faces.

"Man Jinbao, Zhang Dalao, Ma Wen, Sun Rongsong... Ah, An Tong looks even fatter than before. It seems the cooks here are feeding him well. Liu Tiedou is here too. Ha, his face used to be as black as coal, but now it's completely white."

Han Li climbed a sturdy tree and muttered to himself as he looked down at the familiar faces.

* * *

On both sides, two boys were fighting each other bare-handed. One of them was stocky and stable, with powerful punches and kicks.

It was An Tong, a friend he had recently become close to. Despite his weight, An Tong was not weak.

Every time he shouted and swung his fists, a strong wind followed.

The other boy was smaller and more agile, moving like a mouse.

He avoided An Tong's punches by jumping around, seemingly waiting for the right moment to counterattack when An Tong was exhausted.

Watching the fight, Han Li naturally felt a sense of support for his friend An Tong.

Seeing him maintain his fierce momentum as he charged at his opponent, Han Li felt relieved. He then looked around to find someone to ask what was happening. His eyes fell on a boy who was shouting and waving his arms from a rock not far from Han Li.

"Hit him in the head! Kick him in the waist! Ah! Just a little more! Yes! That's it! Kick him in the ass! Keep it up!"

The boy's excited face suggested he was clearly on An Tong's side. Finding him amusing, Han Li slowly climbed down the tree and approached him.

"Senior Brother, why are so many people gathered here to fight? Do you know them?"

Han Li asked with a gentle expression.

"Are you kidding? I, Basha, know everyone. Of course, they're... Hey! Who are you? I don't recognize your face. Are you a new disciple? No, that can't be right. It's still half a year before new disciples are admitted. Who are you really?"

He started to answer without thinking but then carefully examined Han Li's unfamiliar face and asked warily.

"My name is Han Li. I'm a close friend of An Tong, who is fighting bravely over there."

Han Li replied calmly.

"An Tong's friend? I know all of his friends, and I've never heard of you!"

Basha still seemed wary.

"Ah, I've been in seclusion for the past few years, so I haven't been outside much. It's natural that you wouldn't recognize me, Senior Brother."

Han Li mixed truth with a lie.

"Is that so? Then you must be a disciple who entered four years ago."

He glanced at Han Li's attire and seemed to believe him. After a brief conversation, he couldn't help but explain the situation.

"This is all because of a woman. You see..."

He explained the details of the conflict without hesitation, living up to his self-proclaimed title of "all-knowing." It turned out that this incident was due to An Tong's cousin, An Yang, and a young man named Zhang Zhenggui from the same village. Although they were not close, both were disciples of Qixian Gate. One day, Zhang Zhenggui saw a woman who was engaged to An Yang and fell in love with her at first sight. Being from a wealthy family, he pursued her relentlessly, and eventually, the woman and her parents were swayed by his wealth and broke off the engagement with An Yang. Devastated, An Yang committed suicide by jumping into a river.

An Tong, who had a close relationship with his cousin since childhood, was enraged by this news and challenged Zhang Zhenggui to a duel. The loser would have to bow and admit their fault. Despite his arrogance, Zhang Zhenggui knew he was not as skilled in martial arts as An Tong. After several rounds of duels involving their friends, they agreed to combine the results to determine the winner. Zhang Zhenggui, relying on his wealth, sought help from the most skilled and wealthy disciples within the sect. An Tong, though not wealthy, had a wide network of friends within the sect, many of whom were from lower social classes and agreed to help him. Many disciples within the sect heard about their duel and gathered to watch, leading to the current confrontation.

From the boy's tone, Han Li could tell how serious the conflict was between the wealthy and less privileged disciples. The duel had gathered so many people and supporters, which was quite surprising.

"You must be here to help An Tong. If they break the rules, we'll all attack them. We'll beat those young brats so badly they'll wet their pants and never dare to look down on us again."

Once he started talking, the boy couldn't stop. Han Li suddenly realized that this conflict had nothing to do with him, and it was hard to say who was right or wrong. After years of cultivation and meditation, he had shed much of his former hot-headedness and impulsiveness. Moreover, he had never learned any martial arts or weapon skills, so he couldn't defeat any of the sect's disciples. He decided to watch the duel and then return to Shen Shou Valley quietly.

"Right!"

Suddenly, the boy shouted excitedly. Han Li turned his head to see what had happened. In the end, An Tong's opponent couldn't hold out any longer. He was hit in the forehead by An Tong's massive fist and fell unconscious. One side erupted in cheers, while the other side looked grim. An Tong, triumphant, waved his fists and shook his hips, which made the tense atmosphere dissipate into laughter.

Soon, Zhang Zhenggui's group came forward to carry their unconscious comrade away. Then, one person from each side stepped forward, one holding a saber and the other a sword. Without a word, they began to fight.

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