Deception and Taking the Blame

Deception and Taking the Blame

"Xiaoqian, what are you doing?!"

Li Chenghu had never expected Li Qian to suddenly lash out. He immediately reached out, trying to grab her.

But it had happened too abruptly, and he had no time to stop her.

As for Li Xingwu and the other two Personal Disciples,

for some reason, all of them had lowered their eyes, with no intention of moving.

Faced with this situation,

Chen Sheng naturally wasn't about to stand there and take the hit.

Seeing that there was no time to dodge, he could only raise both arms.

Smack! The slap landed on his arms, and an overwhelming force instantly swept through his body.

Half of Chen Sheng's body went numb, and he swayed, nearly falling over.

"You still dare to block?!"

Before Chen Sheng could recover, Li Qian's shrill voice rang out beside him.

What followed was the howl of air being torn apart.

Li Qian's fist shot straight at Chen Sheng's face.

Damn it!

The more he thought about enduring it, the more cheated he felt. The more he thought about backing down, the angrier he became.

The other party refused to let up, and Chen Sheng's temper flared as well.

A trace of fury flashed through his eyes.

Li Qian's attack would be difficult to withstand.

He might as well trade injury for injury.

Even if he took a hit, he wouldn't let her get off easy.

With that thought,

Thud! Chen Sheng gritted his teeth and stamped his right foot heavily onto the ground, steadying his body before he lost balance.

Every muscle in his body was mobilized in an instant.

His force condensed into a single line and poured out through his arm.

Cannon Fist!

His fist shot out like a cannonball leaving the barrel, striking toward Li Qian's face as well.

Bang! His fist broke through the air with an explosive crack.

Neither Li Qian nor Chen Sheng showed any intention of stopping.

"That's enough!"

Only then did Li Xingwu finally speak.

In what seemed like an instant, he appeared beside them and grabbed both their arms at once.

Their originally fierce attacks were instantly restrained by Li Xingwu's withered hands.

"Grandfather!"

Li Qian struggled desperately, trying to break free from Li Xingwu's grip.

But his hand was like an iron shackle welded around her wrist. No matter how hard she tried, she could not break free.

"Our resources are already so limited. If he—"

"Shut up!"

Li Qian was cut off mid-sentence by Li Xingwu.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"

"Go back to your place!"

Li Xingwu glared at her.

As soon as he finished speaking,

Li Qian's face was still full of indignation.

But Li Xingwu was the one person she dared not defy.

Without saying a word, she returned to her spot, though her malicious gaze remained locked tightly on Chen Sheng.

The moment Li Qian stood still, Guo Yang moved close to her and quietly gave her a thumbs-up.

"Junior Sister, well done."

"Don't worry. If Master really intends to take in another Personal Disciple later, Senior Brother will find a way."

Throughout his words, Guo Yang wore a gentle smile.

At that,

Li Qian merely snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Li Xingwu paid no attention to the small gestures between the two Personal Disciples behind him.

He frowned as he examined Chen Sheng, inwardly puzzled.

Just two days ago, he had personally examined Chen Sheng's physique.

It had only been slightly better than that of an ordinary person.

Why had he suddenly become a Ming Strength martial artist in just two days? The first few days after a Qi Sense User awakened were a period of rapid physical transformation.

After that, the body's rate of improvement would grow slower and slower, requiring continuous development to uncover its potential.

Li Xingwu had never heard of a situation like Chen Sheng's.

He reached out and inspected Chen Sheng's bones and physique all over.

But the more he examined him, the darker Li Xingwu's expression became.

"Tell me, Li Chenghu."

When he spoke again, he was no longer addressing Chen Sheng.

Instead, he looked at Li Chenghu.

"How much spirit medicine did you make your disciple drink for him to reach Ming Strength in such a short time?"

Li Chenghu was deeply displeased with Li Qian's actions and had been about to step forward to warn her when he suddenly heard Li Xingwu addressing him.

"Huh?" A baffled look immediately appeared on his face, and he instinctively let out a sound.

Spirit medicine referred to medicinal herbs that had mutated after coming into contact with qi following the arrival of the Tide Rising Era.

After mutating, these herbs became several times more effective, but they were exceedingly scarce. They were generally managed and distributed by the national Martial Arts Association, making them difficult for private individuals to obtain.

Li Chenghu's team only received a tiny amount of spirit medicine each month—not even enough to distribute among the team members. How could they possibly have any spare for Chen Sheng?

"You think I'm that easy to fool?"

Whoosh! Li Xingwu shot out a hand like lightning and grabbed Chen Sheng's wrist.

He used tremendous force.

Feeling the sharp pain in his wrist, Chen Sheng frowned.

"Come!"

"Feel this precious disciple of yours—his bones, his physique!"

"They're utterly atrocious!"

"If you hadn't given him spirit medicine, could he have reached Ming Strength so quickly?"

"I may be old, but I'm not senile."

With that,

Li Xingwu snorted coldly and flung Chen Sheng's hand away.

He sat back down in his chair.

"You master and disciple have quite the scheme."

"One comes to ask me to send someone to guide him."

"The other comes claiming he wants to become a Personal Disciple."

"Then, after I teach him Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, you'll have him go back and instruct others."

"That way, you can bring Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound to the Martial Security Bureau, right?"

As he spoke, his icy gaze moved back and forth between Li Chenghu and Chen Sheng.

"I'm telling you, stop dreaming."

"Now, get the hell out, both of you!"

Bang! The more Li Xingwu spoke, the more agitated he became. He slammed his palm down onto the tea table beside him.

The tea table instantly shattered, fragments scattering across the floor.

Li Xingwu's chest rose and fell violently, as though he had been angered greatly.

"Master, please don't be angry."

"You know Senior Brother Li's character. He may simply have been deceived by someone."

Watching the scene before him, Guo Yang spoke again, playing peacemaker.

However,

when he mentioned that Li Chenghu had been deceived, his gaze lingered on Chen Sheng the entire time.

The implication could not have been clearer.

"Dad, how could I—"

Li Chenghu had never imagined things would develop this way. Just a moment ago, he had been delighted that Chen Sheng had broken through to Ming Strength and was about to become a Personal Disciple.

The next moment, he had suddenly become an unfilial son who had joined forces with Chen Sheng to deceive Li Xingwu.

Li Chenghu immediately tried to explain.

"GET OUT!!!!"

But Li Xingwu's furious roar directly drowned him out.

His face was red with anger, and one hand clutched his chest as he panted heavily.

He clearly believed that his own son had conspired with an outsider to deceive him, and the rage had nearly overwhelmed him.

Guo Yang hurried forward and gently patted Li Xingwu's back while looking at Li Chenghu.

"Senior Brother Li, Master is in poor health. You should come back another day."

After speaking, he turned his gaze toward Chen Sheng.

"As for you—"

"Will you leave on your own, or do I have to throw you out?"

By the end, Guo Yang had finally dropped his gentle facade, his face cold and expressionless.

Beside him, the ferocity in Li Qian's eyes was completely undisguised.

Though her earlier arrogant behavior had been an act,

her disgust for Chen Sheng was genuine.

Anyone who tried to take her resources was someone she wished she could kill with her own hands.

As for Wu Ran,

he merely stood quietly to the side, watching the farce unfold with inward amusement.

He laughed at Chen Sheng and Li Chenghu for actually setting up such a scheme to deceive others for the sake of Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound.

Pathetic and laughable weaklings.

That was the label Wu Ran had placed on Chen Sheng.

From beginning to end, Chen Sheng did not say a single word.

His gaze swept across everyone present.

Confusion, contempt, disgust, disdain.

Every one of those emotions was there.

And all of them stemmed from a baseless accusation thrown onto his head.

But he had no intention of explaining.

Because he knew that once a misunderstanding had taken root, blind explanations served no purpose beyond making him look cheap.

"Thank you, Head Instructor, for your guidance over the past two days."

"Farewell."

Chen Sheng left those words behind and walked straight out of the martial arts hall.

Li Chenghu looked at his father, who was still consumed by anger, sighed helplessly, and followed him outside.