Complaint

Wang Jingyuan figured he had to get dressed anyway, so he simply washed up and groomed himself. He was, after all, rather presentable. If his Game Panel had been any more detailed, he might have received a notification after freshening up: [Charm +1].

The group made their way to the Mount Hua Sect dining hall. Though Linghu Chong and Lu Dayou were both cheerful, talkative people, they had suffered too many mental shocks in too short a time and were still feeling down, with little desire to speak to Wang Jingyuan.

Wang Jingyuan did not remain idle on the way to the dining hall. He carried a small shovel, and whenever he spotted mature herbs by the roadside, he dug them up in a few quick motions. With a casual flip of his hand, the herbs vanished without a trace. Whenever he saw ripe wild fruit by the road, he picked that too. Any fruit that entered his hand likewise disappeared.

[Gathering Skill Proficiency +1]

[Gathering Skill Proficiency +1]

[Gathering Skill Proficiency +1]

At first, Linghu Chong and Lu Dayou paid no attention, but Wang Jingyuan did it so many times along the way that they could no longer ignore it.

"Junior Disciple Brother, what are you doing?"

"Gathering, of course. It may not be useful for now, but if I stockpile enough supplies, they'll come in handy someday."

Linghu Chong asked what concerned him most. "But, Junior Disciple Brother, where did you put all those herbs you dug up?"

"In the Game Inventory, obviously." Wang Jingyuan spoke as though it were only natural. As he spoke, he flipped his hand, and a wild fruit appeared in it. With another flip, the fruit vanished.

Lu Dayou hurried over and grabbed Wang Jingyuan's hands, inspecting his sleeves, but naturally found nothing. He exclaimed in admiration, "What an amazing Ancient Color Magic Trick! There isn't the slightest flaw. To be honest, before I came up the mountain, I wanted to become a magician myself.

"But before I could find anyone to teach me magic, I met Master first."

Wang Jingyuan analyzed, "Then you came to the wrong place. You should have joined the Hengshan Sect. One of the Hengshan Sect's founding masters was a magician, and their ultimate art, the Thirteen Forms of Myriad Illusions and Misty Clouds, incorporates magic tricks into martial arts. Its variations are endless and dazzling."

Lu Dayou shook his head like a rattle-drum. "Now that I have entered the sect and taken a master, how can I think about such nonsense?"

"Not even considering it? What if Hengshan suits you better? Look, their current sect leader, Mo Da, plays the erhu, while you happen to be a monkey performer. Even though you never joined Hengshan, you unexpectedly fit their sect culture perfectly."

Lu Dayou said solemnly, "Junior Disciple Brother, do not bring this up again. I am a man of Huashan in life, and a ghost of Huashan in death."

Wang Jingyuan sighed regretfully. "Sigh! I had wanted to see whether you could trigger a quest to leave your sect, so I could complete the Grand Slam of the Five Mountains. Looks like there's no chance with you."

Linghu Chong frowned. "Switching to another sect is a great taboo in the martial world. Junior Disciple Brother, you must not entertain such thoughts."

"Tsk, who can say what the future holds? Wasn't Huashan's founding master originally from the Quanzhen Sect? Anything is possible. Even you might become the leader of the Hengshan Sect someday."

Lu Dayou shook his head. "Junior Disciple Brother is talking nonsense again. The Hengshan Sect is a nunnery. They do not even accept male disciples, so how could they let a man become sect leader?"

While the three chatted, Yue Buqun, who was in Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall, received a group of unusual visitors. They were farmers from the foot of the mountain.

The Mount Hua Sect had been here for many years, so Yue Buqun naturally recognized this farming household. Besides, all the vegetables on the mountain were supplied by their family. Yue Buqun often acted chivalrously and cared for the local people, so the nearby farmers greatly respected him. Whenever they encountered trouble, they often sought help from the Mount Hua Sect.

A burly man sat uneasily in the hall and stammered, "I... I didn't want to disturb Sect Leader Yue, but... but we truly have no other choice."

Yue Buqun replied gently, "Speak freely if you have something to say. Yue will do his utmost to help."

Seeing Yue Buqun being so polite only made the man look more troubled. After hesitating again and again, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "I ask... I ask Sect Leader Yue to perhaps... perhaps restrain the heroes of Huashan a little."

At those words, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze were both startled, while even Yue Lingshan wore an expression of disbelief. There were only a handful of people on Huashan. Though none of them amounted to much—some drank themselves senseless, some wandered around with monkeys—

Yue Buqun still knew his disciples' character well. Even that spy sent by Zuo Lengchan was diligent, honest, and hardworking in ordinary times. He could never have done anything so outrageous as to incur public outrage.

But these farmers from the foot of the mountain could not possibly have climbed all this way merely to falsely accuse a Mount Hua disciple...

Yue Buqun exchanged a glance with Ning Zhongze. After pondering for a moment, he said to Yue Lingshan, who stood beside him, "Go call your Senior Disciple Brother."

Yue Lingshan hurried out. Before she had gone far, she spotted the three street loafers heading toward the dining hall. She rushed over and called to Linghu Chong, "This is bad, Senior Disciple Brother! Your misdeed has been exposed. Father is furious right now. Why don't you pack up and go back to Siguo Cliff first?"

"What?!" Linghu Chong was utterly bewildered. "I only just came down. Why do I have to go back up again? Besides, wasn't I sent to Siguo Cliff a month ago to reflect because I secretly went down the mountain to drink? What else did I do?"

Yue Lingshan said anxiously, "The farmers from the foot of the mountain have come right to our door, and you're still denying it?"

Linghu Chong became anxious. "The last time I went down the mountain, I only drank in secret. I didn't steal any chickens! It really has nothing to do with me. I'm going to reason this out with Master right now."

Linghu Chong hurried toward Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall. Yue Lingshan stamped her foot and could only follow. As Linghu Chong's die-hard admirer, Lu Dayou naturally followed as well.

As for Wang Jingyuan, now that an event had been triggered, he naturally would not miss the chance to watch the excitement.

The group entered Zhengqi Chongxiao Hall one after another. The farmers seated inside revealed complicated, fearful expressions when they saw them. Yue Buqun was a shrewd man, and upon seeing this, many thoughts immediately crossed his mind, confirming his earlier suspicions.

At once, he roared at Linghu Chong, "You wicked disciple, kneel!"

Linghu Chong dropped to his knees by reflex. But once he had knelt properly, he remembered that he had come to argue... no, to explain himself.

Linghu Chong began, "Master, I..."

Yue Buqun cut him off. "You wicked disciple, you still dare to quibble?!"

The burly man also tried to dissuade him. "Sect Leader Yue, this..."

Yue Buqun said righteously, "Brother Niu, there is no need to persuade me further. Today, I will definitely obtain justice for you!"

Picking up the ruler he had prepared long ago, Yue Buqun intended to administer a beating first and question him thoroughly while doing so. But at that moment, an incongruous voice rang out. "Yo, fellow villager, you look very familiar."

At those words, Yue Buqun's ruler froze in midair, and a different suspicion immediately arose in his heart.