Repaying Kindness

"What did you say?" The Young Sect Master's face darkened, a flicker of cold light flashing in his eyes as he suddenly realized this fellow might have come out here just to humiliate himself.

"I don't want to say it a third time. Trash, get out of the way." Chen Fan remained indifferent.

"Haha..." The Young Sect Master was amused. A waste at Qi Refining Layer 6 dared to put on airs before him. Still, this made the trip less boring—after all, some people always held back, and playing with them gave him no thrill.

"Let me see how this trash plans to save him. His True Qi is in chaos; at any moment it could burst through his meridians and kill him. I'll watch how you handle this." The Young Sect Master sneered, stepping back. Mo Bai's injuries were all his doing; one wrong move and the True Qi would rush into his brain, destroying his organs.

Elder Lin and the others changed color again, muttering to themselves about the Young Sect Master's vicious methods—chaotic True Qi could shatter meridians at best, leaving one crippled, or kill at worst.

Chen Fan reached into his sleeve and was about to step forward when a large hand blocked him.

"Are you an Inner Court disciple? Don't meddle. Get out." Elder Lin stopped Chen Fan, speaking coldly.

"Move." Chen Fan said flatly.

"You..." Elder Lin clearly hadn't expected a disciple to speak to him like that. He froze, then roared in anger: "Stand down! Do you want to kill Mo Bai?"

The disciples outside the wooden hut also realized Mo Bai's condition was critical and grew anxious. If not for the important figures inside, they would have swarmed in to seize Chen Fan. But they couldn't enter, which didn't stop them from shouting.

"Chen Fan, get out! This isn't the time for your boasting and grandstanding." A disciple yelled angrily.

"Get out now. Don't disgrace Heavy Sword Peak any further."

"Chen Jingjing, control your brother." A female disciple, jealous of Chen Jingjing's beauty, seized the chance to call out.

"Enough noise!" Chen Fan suddenly raised his hand and flung a talisman out of the hut.

With a hiss, the talisman transformed into a flying sword, flashing cold light as it shot toward the crowd of disciples.

"Watch out!" Several disciples shouted, leaping back to dodge the flying sword.

"Chen Fan, you dare attack us?" They glared angrily.

"This is a warning. Anyone who disagrees can come at me." Chen Fan didn't look back, pulling another talisman from his sleeve.

"So you're that Chen Fan? I order you to leave—by the authority of an elder." Elder Lin glared at Chen Fan, his face muscles twitching with rage.

Elder Lin's shout brought a look of satisfaction to the disciples outside, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.

"I'm withdrawing from Heavy Sword Peak." Chen Fan's gaze was icy as he looked at Elder Lin flatly.

"You..." Elder Lin's eyes widened, clearly not expecting Chen Fan to say that.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng were also shocked, urgently saying: "Chen Fan, don't be impulsive."

"This drama just keeps getting better." At that moment, a discordant laugh rang out—it was the Young Sect Master.

Chen Fan ignored him. He stepped forward with the Formless Step, his figure blurring slightly, and in the next instant appeared beside Mo Bai's bed.

"Is that... the Formless Step?"

Elder Lin and the others froze. When they turned to stop Chen Fan, they saw the yellow talisman pinched in his hand.

"Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman." Yang Feng and Elder Lin both exclaimed in shock.

Elder Li frowned, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.

"Impossible?" The smile on the Young Sect Master's face instantly stiffened, and even the two Foundation Establishment experts behind him changed color.

Chen Fan's True Qi surged in his hand as he channeled it into the Human Flower Talisman, beginning to ignite it.

"Stop." The Young Sect Master's face twisted with malice as he clawed at Chen Fan. Chen Fan frowned slightly but didn't pause his movements.

"Why waste such a precious talisman on a piece of trash like him?" The Young Sect Master's eyes gleamed coldly as he lunged.

Chen Fan remained silent. He stepped with the Formless Step again, and at the same time, the talisman hissed, a fiery dragon bursting forth mid-motion.

The Young Sect Master grabbed at empty air. Seeing the flames rise, he knew he was too late.

"Slap." The Human Flower Talisman was firmly pressed onto Mo Bai's forehead, and a surge of True Qi flowed from Chen Fan's palm into Mo Bai's brow, helping him refine the talisman faster.

"Boom!" Mo Bai felt a scorching torrent, like a volcanic eruption, racing through his meridians.

"Ah..." The burning heat in his meridians made Mo Bai feel as if his whole body was on fire, and he couldn't help but roar.

"Senior Brother..."

"Chen Fan, stop!" The disciples outside the hut, eyes red with rage, shouted at him.

"Ignorant." Chen Fan snorted coldly, then suddenly withdrew his palm, pulling Mo Bai up from the bed. He followed up with another strike to Mo Bai's Fengmen acupoint on his back.

"Pfft!"

Mo Bai spat out a mouthful of black blood, but most of his vitality was restored.

"Chen Fan, you..." Mo Bai realized all his injuries had healed by eighty percent and stared at Chen Fan in shock.

"You saved my life; I repay the favor." Chen Fan cut him off.

Elder Lin's face was a mix of emotions. Chen Fan had actually managed to save Mo Bai, and with such profound methods—far beyond what they themselves could achieve.

"Hmph, Chen Fan, I'll remember this." The Young Sect Master let out a bitter laugh, then turned and strode out of the hut. Though he desperately wanted to pry the source of the Three Flowers Gathering at Crown Talisman from Chen Fan, he felt Chen Fan's actions had made him lose face. He couldn't bear to stay another moment. As for Chen Fan, he figured the monk could run but not the temple.

With that, the Young Sect Master led his two Foundation Establishment experts out of the hut, his hatred for Chen Fan swelling infinitely under the strange gazes of the disciples.

"Chen Fan, consider this a merit..." Elder Lin coughed dryly, starting to speak, but Chen Fan walked away expressionlessly, choking off his words and leaving a trace of embarrassment on his face.

"It's time to go home." Chen Fan said flatly to Chen Jingjing and the others, then turned and walked out of the wooden hut.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng hurried to follow, but as she passed Elder Li, Chen Jingjing seemed to remember something. She looked at Elder Li and spoke, "Elder Li, Chen Fan is already at Qi Refining Layer 6 now. My father's..."

"We'll discuss this later." Elder Li's eyes flickered with unease as he cut her off.

Seeing this, Chen Jingjing felt even more suspicious, but she was more concerned right now about how Chen Fan had gotten his Talisman. So she nodded to Elder Li, then turned and followed Zhang Rumeng to catch up with Chen Fan, heading home.

Yang Feng said nothing. Although Elder Lin's actions earlier had been somewhat excessive, as Vice Peak Master, he hadn't stopped him either. Besides, Chen Fan had already declared in front of everyone that he was withdrawing from Heavy Sword Peak.

Yang Feng felt that if he tried to persuade Chen Fan to stay, it would undermine his authority in front of the disciples. Though Chen Fan possessed a precious Talisman, Yang Feng believed that a mere Qi Refining Layer 6 wasn't worth him swallowing his pride.

Elder Li stood to the side with a complicated expression, lost in thought.

"Elder Li, what did that little girl want with you?" Yang Feng asked, noticing Elder Li seemed distracted.

"Nothing, just trying to plead for her brother." Elder Li snapped back to reality and answered casually.

Yang Feng nodded slightly upon hearing this, not giving it another thought. He turned to Mo Bai and asked, "How do you feel?"

"My injuries have recovered about eighty percent, and... my meridians seem much stronger than before." Mo Bai said with confusion, unsure if he was just imagining things.

"Mm, rest easy and recover." Yang Feng said. As for the meridians issue, he paid it no mind. In all his years of cultivation, he had never heard of meridians being able to be strengthened.