Chapter 4

"What kind of scum, daring to provoke me, Li Wan, with no real skills! Simply overestimating yourself!"

Li Wan, seeing the situation, couldn't help but laugh out loud, but he didn't stand there foolishly. Instead, he strode away with long, determined steps.

After wailing for a while, Yin Zhi finally managed to struggle to his feet, holding his swollen cheek with a face full of malice, he shouted from behind, "Li Wan! You'll regret this! If I don't ruin you, I'll take your name! Ouch..."

In a flash, he had thought of many ways to deal with Li Wan. As long as Li Wan remained in the Zhengqi Sect, there would always be an opportunity to strike.

What he didn't know was that Li Wan had already decided to leave.

"There's really no need to stay. Today's trouble is certainly not a coincidence."

Li Wan sighed lightly. Although he had made up his mind, he had spent ten years learning here and wasn't completely without feelings. He couldn't just leave without a second thought.

Especially when he thought that leaving wasn't his true wish, but rather the result of his path being destroyed by others, fearing future oppression, his anger flared, and his heart couldn't settle.

"Before I leave... I should take revenge first!"

Destroying someone's path is no small grudge. Although Li Wan had been very rational before, knowing that rushing in recklessly would only bring humiliation, it didn't mean he didn't want to!

Now, even a lowly servant dared to act arrogantly, and Li Wan admitted to himself that he had reached his limit.

Once this thought arose, it was hard to suppress.

Time quickly passed into the night. Taking advantage of the darkness, Li Wan discarded his neatly packed luggage, kept the hundred silver taels for travel expenses close to his body, and quietly made his way up the mountain.

By the time he reached the named-disciple training ground halfway up the mountain, the moon was high in the sky, and it was a quiet, deep night.

Li Wan, familiar with the terrain, sneaked into the area near the mountain, and soon climbed over the wall, following the back kitchen door to where the named-disciples lived.

Li Wan remembered that Yin Shaohua had entered the sect three years ago and lived in a fine room in the western wing. Fortunately, due to his domineering nature, he had taken over several rooms from his peers and had people build a private courtyard, so there was little chance of being seen by others.

Li Wan easily sneaked to the outside of Yin Shaohua's pavilion but was suddenly startled by voices coming from inside.

Li Wan couldn't help but pause, "It's so late, and he's not sleeping?"

Li Wan's original intention was to catch Yin Shaohua off guard, beat him up, and vent his anger. But upon hearing the voices, he changed his mind, lightened his steps, and slowly approached.

He wanted to hear what they were saying.

"... With this treasure, Master, you will surely be able to successfully cultivate a spirit field. Then the elder will surely guide you into the outer court..."

"Ha ha, that's right. This time, my path has finally become hopeful! Manager Fang, I owe this to your assistance. Otherwise, there would be no way to use this 'heaven-replacing' method to transfer the rewards from Li Wan's name to mine. Li Wan has worked hard in vain, only to end up making a wedding dress for me."

"Ha ha, assisting Master is my duty. However, although the matter is settled, there are still some hidden dangers that cannot be ignored."

"Oh? What do you mean, Manager Fang?"

"It's Li Wan. Although he has no background, he is the party involved. If he learns the truth from elsewhere, he might cause a commotion, which could implicate Master and the outer court officials..."

"You mean the sect's support for outstanding disciples? We have used his daily merit rewards, and the officials in the Merit Hall have signed off on it..."

"Exactly. Once the matter becomes public, the sect will investigate, and the truth will come to light."

"How could Li Wan, with his limited knowledge, know the rules of the inner and outer courts? He is probably still in the dark, unaware of the sect's rewards... Moreover, I heard today that he was seen in the market at the foot of the mountain, seemingly trying to exchange for money. I will use a small trick to drive him away. If he doesn't understand, he will suffer."

"Master has already made arrangements, so I am relieved."

"Ha ha, Manager Fang, there's no need to worry too much. Li Wan is just a rootless wild boy. Dealing with him is as easy as turning over one's hand."

...

"These people... are actually doing such despicable things behind the scenes!"

Li Wan, who had accidentally overheard Yin Shaohua and Manager Fang's secret collusion, was filled with rage and anger.

He never imagined that Yin Shaohua had been targeting him behind his back.

It was laughable that he came from a poor family and had no close friends in the sect, so he didn't know the complex rules. As a result, many benefits he should have received were intercepted and embezzled by others.

It wasn't just him; other diligent but humble disciples were also deceived. Yin Shaohua and Manager Fang had harmed the interests of all humble and outstanding disciples, using these means to increase his chances of reaching the Qi Cultivation stage.

"No wonder, after years of hard work in the named-disciple training ground, the sect ignored me... It turns out these parasites have eaten all the benefits, leaving us not even the scraps!"

Li Wan finally understood some of the things he had been puzzled about in the past, and a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

But after feeling dejected, he became even more determined to teach Yin Shaohua a lesson, to repay every grudge and every wrong.

He patiently waited for Manager Fang to leave, and when only Yin Shaohua remained, he waited for a long time by the window until the room was silent. Then he took out a thin-bladed dagger he had prepared and inserted it into the window seam.

Soon, the window latch made a faint muffled sound and was pushed aside. Li Wan gently pushed the window open.

Li Wan put away the dagger, quietly climbed inside, and by the moonlight, saw that Yin Shaohua was sleeping on the bed.

The room was filled with a faint smell of alcohol, probably from drinking with Manager Fang.

Li Wan quickly guessed that Yin Shaohua and Manager Fang had been discussing confidential matters, dismissing the servants, so no one had come to clean up. After drinking, Yin Shaohua felt a bit tipsy and fell asleep directly.

"Truly, heaven is helping me. The servants know Yin Shaohua is sleeping and won't disturb him. No wonder no one was around just now!"

Li Wan was delighted, quietly approached the bed, and then pounced.

Clang! A muffled sound followed, and Yin Shaohua struggled awake. But he was groggy and his martial skills were inferior to Li Wan's. He was quickly choked and the two tumbled off the bed.

"It's you!"

Yin Shaohua's eyes widened, trying to shout for help, but he could barely breathe, only managing a hoarse, raspy cry.

"Yin Shaohua, didn't expect it, did you? Your grandpa is here for revenge!" Li Wan sneered coldly, flipped over, and kneed him hard.

Yin Shaohua, in pain, curled up like a cooked shrimp. Li Wan quickly grabbed him, threw him to the ground with a side toss.

Before he could get up, Li Wan struck him with a hand knife, and with a muffled groan, Yin Shaohua's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

Li Wan took out a rope from his pocket, tied Yin Shaohua up tightly, threw him aside like a sheep, and then found a pair of cloth socks from under the bed, stuffed them into his mouth, and tied them with a cloth to prevent him from spitting them out.

After doing this, he kicked Yin Shaohua with his toe to wake him up.

Yin Shaohua, regaining consciousness, quickly understood what had happened, his face showing fear and a pleading look.

Li Wan sneered, "You destroyed my path, so I'll make you pay. That's fair, right? Consider yourself lucky; if I didn't want to cause trouble, I could have killed you."

Li Wan didn't plan to kill Yin Shaohua. He had thought it through: killing for revenge would be futile and would bring huge trouble. Even if he failed and was caught, there would still be a chance to negotiate.

Soon, Li Wan searched the room in front of Yin Shaohua's desperate gaze, finding some valuables and a brocade bag from Yin Shaohua's waist.

The brocade bag was made of fine silk, embroidered with golden cloud patterns, and tied with a dark yellow cord, looking very exquisite.

"An Auspicious Bag? You even have this luxury!"

Li Wan couldn't help but marvel.

An Auspicious Bag is a small magical tool without a grade, used by cultivators to store valuables and carry them conveniently while traveling.

This small bag had the space of a large burlap sack, truly amazing.

Even though the Auspicious Bag was not graded among magical tools, there were higher-grade items like the Hundred Treasures Bag and the Universe Bag. In the mortal world, it was still a very precious treasure. Li Wan had heard many secrets about the inner and outer courts during his time in the training ground, but this was the first time he had seen such a treasure.

Li Wan couldn't help but be intrigued, "Let's see what good things are inside."

"Ugh... ugh..." Seeing Li Wan find the Auspicious Bag, Yin Shaohua's face was full of anger and despair.

Li Wan didn't care, opened the bag with anticipation, and poured out the contents.

He found some clothes, dry rations, water, and medicine bottles, as well as several cultivation manuals, a gold bar shaped like a carp weighing about one tael, and a bag of gold leaves weighing one qian, all packed tightly.

Although gold and silver were valuable, they were still mundane wealth. The cultivation manuals weren't the time to read in detail. After his initial excitement, Li Wan turned his attention to the remaining items.

They were two lacquered red brocade boxes.

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