Chapter 12

“Hmph!”

Li Yueqing glanced at him disdainfully and said coolly, "I heard you all got quite a few good things. Since everyone here has a share, each of you hand over a spirit stone, and I'll let you go today. I’m sure you don’t want this matter to spread, do you?"

As soon as her words fell, the faces of the young men and women changed dramatically. They looked at Li Yuerong, who was standing beside her, with shock and anger, making her shrink back and hide behind Li Yueqing.

It wasn't hard to imagine that Li Yuerong had given the spirit stones to Li Yueqing and, under questioning, had revealed their involvement. It was very likely that she had directly spoken up about it.

"Senior Sister Li, isn't this going too far? My Zhao family also has members in the Enforcement Team, and we're not necessarily inferior to you!"

Zhao Shanshan stepped forward, her face showing anger.

"That's right, my Liu family also has members in the Guardian Team. Do you want to forcibly take them?"

Liu Ziqing also stepped forward. Li Chen had saved his life that day, and even though his cultivation was insufficient, he couldn't just stand by and watch him be humiliated.

Both were from two other families in Guyang City and were not afraid of Li Yueqing.

"Hehe!"

Li Yueqing laughed delicately, smoothing her hair, "You can go and complain, but once this matter spreads, your troubles will definitely not end today. I’m sure you don’t want endless trouble, do you?"

"Give it to her!"

Chu Ziyun, her face cold, pulled out a small brocade pouch from her neck and took out the spirit stone inside, throwing it to Li Yueqing.

She was very clear that every word Li Yueqing said was true. If this matter spread, they would all face enormous trouble. No matter how many treasures they handed over, it wouldn't stop, and it could even lead to casualties.

After all, although the Xuan Yun Sect prohibited high-ranking disciples from wantonly killing low-ranking ones, secret attacks were still hard to avoid, especially when the cultivation gap was too large.

Such things had happened before.

"All of mine are yours, don't make it hard for them!"

Li Chen couldn't hold back any longer, opened his bag, and took out a small pouch.

Smack!

"Dog slave, who asked you to speak? Not to mention these spirit stones, even your life belongs to the Li family. Do you really think that cultivating inner breath and entering the sect makes you better than others? A slave will always be a slave, hmpf!"

Li Yueqing grabbed the pouch and casually pushed Li Chen to the ground, spitting in disdain.

Everyone dared to be angry but dared not speak, handing over all the spirit stones they had, and helping Li Chen up.

"By the way, those second-rank spirit herbs are useless to you. You might as well give them to me. I have a few high-grade Breath-Gathering Pills here, which are perfect for the two of you! Remember to give them to Yuerong!"

Li Yueqing counted the spirit stones, her heart blooming with joy, and put them away. She then casually took out a jade bottle and threw it to Pang Wenshan, and then took out a spirit stone and threw it to Chu Ziyun: "I know you are a genius of the Western Courtyard's Outer Sect, but you must be careful. If a genius is cut off, no one will remember!"

With that, she gathered the treasures, took Li Yuerong by the hand, and left with a swagger.

Li Yuerong tried to struggle, but seeing the angry looks from everyone, even though she was young, she knew she had forever lost these friends who had shared hardships with her.

"Damn it!"

Pang Wenshan's grip on the jade bottle made a cracking sound, but he didn't crush it completely. He looked at Chu Ziyun and then put it away.

"Junior Brother Li, are you okay?"

Chu Ziyun reached out to help Li Chen.

"I'm used to it!"

Li Chen subtly dodged, not wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, slowly shook his head, and gave a apologetic smile to everyone. He then turned and walked away, once again putting on the mask of shyness and fear.

Everyone wanted to step forward, but Pang Wenshan held them back, shaking his head slightly, and watched silently as the thin figure disappeared into the forest path.

Over these days, everyone's attitude toward Li Chen had changed from initial indifference, disdain, and pity to acceptance and respect. At this moment, they deeply felt his suffering.

Three simple words summed up the life of this boy who was not yet fifteen.

...

"Are you, as the sect leader, going to allow such things to happen?"

In a secluded place in the Xuan Yun Sect, Chu Ziyun stood under a large rock, her face cold and distant.

"Hehe, Ziyun has grown up!"

The current sect leader of the Xuan Yun Sect, Chu Yunkong, looked at her with affection, showing no trace of the authority of a sect leader, as if he were a father looking at his daughter.

"Don't dodge the issue. I'm asking, will you handle this matter?"

Chu Ziyun's face remained cold, and the relationship between the two seemed strained.

"A fledgling eagle that stays under the old eagle's wings will never have the courage to fly into the sky!"

Chu Yunkong did not get angry, his deep eyes looking into the distance.

"Fledgling eagle... old eagle... wings... sky... courage..."

Chu Ziyun was stunned, muttering to herself. After a long silence, when she looked up, Chu Yunkong's figure had already disappeared. Two tears slid down her cold eyes, "Is this why you abandoned us back then? Then why did you bring me back?"

The cold wind blew, autumn had arrived, and the chill grew stronger, unable to express the many sorrows of the world!

...

At the foot of the mountain of the Xuan Yun Sect, the residence of the Southern Courtyard's registered disciples.

"Hey, you haven't even grown any hair, and you want to go out and seek treasures? Afraid of being eaten by a beast?"

A short, stocky middle-aged man looked at Li Chen with disdain. He was the manager of the registered disciples, responsible for their daily life and martial arts training.

But to get such a lucrative position, one needed solid connections. Otherwise, how could he exploit these half-grown kids?

He knew the situation of the registered disciples well. Li Chen was just a fifteen-year-old, second-layer Condensation Breath Realm waste, not worth paying attention to, only to be oppressed and exploited.

"This is the low-grade Breath-Gathering Pill I just received. I specially offer it to the manager. I hope you will accept it. My family has an urgent matter!"

Li Chen suppressed his anger but knew that without the other's consent, he would never be allowed to leave. He had to make up a story.

"Is that so? I'm not unreasonable. Since that's the case, you can go, but remember to return within a month!"

Feng Luming subtly took the jade bottle. He was at the sixth layer of the Condensation Breath Realm. Although he couldn't use it himself, he had family members who could benefit from the low-grade Breath-Gathering Pill.

The Xuan Yun Sect did not prohibit disciples from going out, but they had to report monthly. Those who failed to report would be severely punished.

This was to protect the disciples and to keep track of their general situation, especially for registered and outer sect disciples.

As for inner sect disciples, who had some self-protection ability, they had to report every three months. As for the elite disciples, who were already True Cultivation disciples, they rarely entered dangerous areas.

They were the hope of the sect, and the Xuan Yun Sect would certainly protect them strictly.

"Thank you, Manager, for your understanding!"

Li Chen bowed and hurriedly left.

"Waste!"

Feng Luming sneered as he watched Li Chen's retreating back, then turned to shout at the half-grown boys to practice their martial arts.