Chapter 6

The people beside Wang Zhi, including the two Daoist boys who ran errands for the fat Daoist, were all stunned by the scene. The Qingyun Mountain Daoist Sect had strict rules; when had there ever been a case of a Daoist boy beating up an outer sect disciple? Moreover, the outer sect disciples all cultivated spiritual energy. Even if their physical strength was weak, they were not something a Daoist boy could approach. A mere shake of spiritual energy would send even the strongest Daoist boy flying.

"Let go of Senior Brother Yu..."

After a while, the two Daoist boys finally reacted, shouting in unison and rushing over to rescue him.

"Who dares!"

Fang Xing suddenly straightened up, his body shaking with spiritual energy, releasing an inexplicable pressure.

The two Daoist boys felt a chill and froze in place, too afraid to move forward.

"Wang Zhi, Dead Man, Little Freckles, tie these two up. Rat Spirit, Bow-legged, you two go to the Medicine Department to report. Tell them we caught three people stealing medicinal herbs in broad daylight..."

Fang Xing coldly ordered, at the same time pulling some medicinal herbs from the nearby field and shoving them into the fat Daoist's arms without caring what they were.

"This... isn't right..."

Wang Zhi and the others were frightened, hesitating and not moving.

"What are you afraid of? These guys are neither from the Medicine Department nor acting on its orders. They dared to come here and cause trouble. I don't believe the people from the Medicine Department won't be upset... By the way, who is it, Rat Spirit, you have a golden hairpin, right? The one you used to pledge to your fiancée. Bring it over, put it in his pocket, and say he brought two people to ask us to secretly give him some medicinal herbs. We didn't dare, so they tried to take them by force and even demanded a bribe..."

"I... okay... can I get my hairpin back?"

The Daoist boys, after hearing Fang Xing, understood and started to act. Some took ropes, others fetched the golden hairpin.

The fastest, Bow-legged, was already preparing to go to the Medicine Department to report.

"Wait... wait..."

Everyone turned around, and the one who spoke was the fat Daoist, who was beaten up and had a bruised face.

Fang Xing's words had also reached his ears. Initially, he didn't take them seriously, but the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

Yes, he wasn't from the Medicine Department, and his presence here was not legitimate. If this little rascal accused him of stealing medicinal herbs, no one would believe it. After all, the Qingyun Mountain Daoist Sect had strict rules, and no one dared to openly steal medicinal herbs. They were a shared resource of the Daoist Sect, and there were strict orders against it. However, if the people from the Medicine Department really thought he was here to extort, he would be in big trouble.

Superiors receiving offerings from subordinates was natural, but there were limits...

Moreover, even if he explained everything, being beaten up by a ten-year-old Daoist boy and then tied up and sent to the Medicine Department for punishment would ruin his reputation. Even his senior brother in charge of the Miscellaneous Department would lose face and likely hate him.

He absolutely couldn't let this get out of hand!

The fat Daoist had actually caught Fang Xing hunting during his duty hours, thinking Fang Xing wouldn't dare to make a big deal out of it. But who knew this kid didn't know fear, not only beating him up but also openly framing him. The Daoist Sect valued medicinal herbs like their lives, and he had just pulled them out...

This kid was too fierce and hard to handle. There was no choice but to back down!

The fat Daoist quickly thought this through and hurriedly called out, "Misunderstanding, all misunderstandings. We were just playing around, no need to alarm the senior brothers from the Medicine Department. Kid, let me up, let's talk things over..."

Hearing the fat Daoist's words, the Daoist boys all looked at each other, clearly surprised.

Only Fang Xing smiled coldly, having anticipated this outcome.

His words were more for the fat Daoist than for Wang Zhi and the others.

"Oh, Brother Pig, it's all my fault. I didn't know you were just playing around, so I hit you too hard..."

Fang Xing suddenly changed his demeanor, smiling and helping the fat Daoist up, even dusting off his clothes for him.

"My name is Yu, not Zhu..."

The fat Daoist sat up, his heart racing. Although he had taken a beating, he hadn't suffered internal injuries and could still fight...

He had mainly been caught off guard by Fang Xing's surprise attack. If they really fought, he wasn't afraid of him.

However, just as this thought arose, his vision blurred, and a shiny knife was pressed against his neck. The cold sensation instantly sobered him up. Fang Xing's round, cute face was close to his, whispering, "Fat pig, don't push your luck. I'm fearless. Let's see who ends up worse off if this gets out of hand!"

"This little brat is a madman..."

The fat Daoist was shocked, and the thought of fighting vanished.

"You're tough, I admit it. We'll see who gets the upper hand in the long run..."

"Heh, we'll see. Seeing you made me realize I can become an outer sect disciple too..."

Fang Xing smiled coldly, his eyes making the fat Daoist shudder.

He suddenly remembered the moment when his spiritual energy was dispelled by Fang Xing, and his eyes changed.

"You've cultivated spiritual energy too?"

"Right, it's not that hard. I still want to ask you, what does it mean to reach the first level of spiritual energy?"

The fat Daoist closed his eyes in pain, saying, "Forget it, forget it. How did I end up with such a troublemaker? Let me tell you, when your meridians adapt to the presence of spiritual energy and can circulate it without obstruction, you've reached the first level of spiritual energy..."

"Damn!"

Fang Xing was also surprised. He thought it would be more difficult, but he had already reached this level a month ago.

This was due to his lack of experience. In fact, the difficult part of Daoist cultivation was the initial and later stages. The early stages were not hard. Generally, once you have spiritual energy in your body, the rest is just adapting your meridians to it. Reaching the first level of spiritual energy is a natural progression, so many Daoist boys would directly report to the Daoist Sect once they cultivated spiritual energy.

Because he had seen the terrifying abilities of Daoist Sect disciples, Fang Xing had overestimated the difficulty of cultivation.

The Yin-Yang Divine Magic Mirror could identify techniques, spiritual treasures, and others' cultivation levels, but it couldn't identify his own. This was a source of frustration for Fang Xing.

"Get some water for me to wash my face..."

The fat Daoist said in a low voice, his eyes almost swollen shut.

Fang Xing finally reacted, standing up and kicking Wang Zhi, who was standing dumbfounded, saying, "I'm talking to you. How can you be so clueless? Quickly get some water for Brother Pig to wash his face. And you, Little Freckles, stop standing there like an idiot. Put out some meat and get the jars of good wine from under Wang Zhi's bed. Today, I want to drink and chat with Brother Pig..."

"My name is Yu, not Zhu..."

The fat Daoist mumbled.

The Daoist boys, as if coming back to life, mechanically followed his orders.

Wang Zhi, after bringing the water, suddenly realized, "How did you know I had four jars of good wine under my bed?"

Fang Xing glanced at him, saying, "There are only three left now..."

He felt a bit contemptuous. How could someone be so bad at hiding things? Who hides good things under their bed?

Wang Zhi let out a wail and ran to check his wine.

After washing his face, the fat Daoist wanted to leave this nightmare-like place quickly, but Fang Xing had already set up the wine and food, warmly inviting him to sit and eat. The fat Daoist, who loved to eat, was almost forced to sit down. Seeing the roasted rabbit and the three jars of fragrant wine, he couldn't help but lose his composure.

Moreover, he had realized that this kid, Fang Xing, was a freak. He had only been a Daoist boy for a few days, yet he had already made the other Daoist boys in this C-3 area his followers. Each of them was older than him. Plus, this kid had already cultivated spiritual energy. If he reported to the Daoist Sect, his status would be the same as his. There was no need to make things too difficult.

A ruthless and fearless opponent was something no one wanted.

With this thought, the fat Daoist went along with it, his expression no longer so grim. After finishing a jar of wine, his face was flushed, and he started to boast, slinging his arm around Fang Xing, looking like a close brother.

As for the medicinal herb that Fang Xing had pulled out to frame him, it was planted back in the soil. Whether it would survive was up to luck. After all, it wasn't unusual for a few medicinal herbs to wither in the field as long as the total number didn't decrease.

After drinking a jar of wine with the fat Daoist, Fang Xing had learned most of what he wanted to know. His eyes brightened, and he said thoughtfully, "So, if I ring the Clear Sound Bell next to the medicinal field, I can become an outer sect disciple?"

The fat Daoist, slurring his words, said, "That's right, brother. Go ring the bell tomorrow, and your senior brother will celebrate your promotion!"