Li Grandpa's Background

Xu Yan was startled.

He had not expected Elder Wuchen to leave after saying all that to Li Ping'an.

Yet he was still deeply puzzled.

Why had Elder Wuchen arrived so suddenly, only to leave just as suddenly?

From start to finish, it had taken no more than twenty seconds.

His mind still felt dazed, as though he had just awakened from a dream.

But that dream had been far too real.

He reached behind himself and found his back slick with cold sweat.

Xu Yan sighed.

"How is it, Steward Xu? Are you still going to teach me a lesson?"

Li Ping'an looked at Xu Yan with a half-smile.

Xu Yan looked at Li Ping'an as though he had seen a ghost.

Just what kind of background did this old fellow have?

Even an elder at the late Golden Core stage had come forward to support him?

It was simply unbelievable.

But then he considered that Li Ping'an had forged iron in the sect for sixty years. He must have accumulated quite a network of connections.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Xu Yan no longer dared to act as arrogantly as before.

He hurriedly smiled. "What are you saying? I was only joking with you all just now. Come, hurry, Li Grandpa, please come inside first. Don't stand at the door."

He invited Li Ping'an into the room.

Xu Yan's attitude took a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

A gentle smile spread across his face as he swept his gaze over the Waste Hall disciples.

"Everyone, I was only joking just now. In truth, I merely wanted to test whether you obeyed the sect's rules and stood firm in your convictions. Li Ping'an's actions just now pleased me greatly."

"I hereby declare that none of what I said earlier counts! Your work will continue to be assigned as normal, and your monthly spirit stone stipends will be paid as usual. Hehehehe..."

He spoke with an awkward laugh.

Yet the disciples all stared at him as if he were mad, utterly unable to make sense of it.

There was no other reason than what they had seen from their perspective:

Xu Yan had clearly been about to unleash a killing move at Li Ping'an when Li Ping'an took out that pair of cymbals and struck them heavily.

After the piercing noise rang out, they saw Xu Yan inexplicably kneel before Li Ping'an, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy.

He had even kept saying things like, "Elder, spare my life!"

The sight left them all utterly baffled, with no idea what had happened.

Only Li Ping'an knew.

It had all been Li Ping'an's doing.

After using the cymbals to shake Xu Yan's mind,

Li Ping'an immediately cast the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art, controlling Xu Yan's mental perception.

He made Xu Yan see Elder Wuchen, one of the Heaven-Piercing Sword Sect's supreme experts.

Then, assuming Elder Wuchen's identity, he ruthlessly suppressed him.

However, with his current cultivation, he could only sustain it for around twenty seconds.

And that was only after he had used the cymbals beforehand to shake Xu Yan's mind.

Without the cymbals, it would have lasted even less time.

Hearing Xu Yan's declaration, Li Ping'an asked in a muffled voice, "Were the disciples you injured just now also part of your joke?"

Xu Yan immediately looked somewhat embarrassed. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "It was my fault. I failed to control my strength. Here are a few pills. Take them and use them, junior brothers. They will help you recover quickly from your injuries, and they can count as my apology."

As he spoke, he took several Golden Bone Pills from his robes and handed them to the injured disciples.

The injured disciples accepted the pills suspiciously. After confirming there was nothing wrong with them, they accepted them with relief.

After distributing the pills, everyone simply stared at him without blinking.

Xu Yan became extremely uncomfortable and awkward under their gazes.

He had originally come today intending to give these Waste Hall disciples a brutal show of force.

To humiliate them properly.

Yet he had never expected Elder Wuchen to appear out of nowhere halfway through.

Not only had he been harshly reprimanded before so many people,

he now had to force a smile and apologize to the disciples he had just called trash.

Just thinking about it was humiliating enough.

"Ahem, since there is nothing else, everyone, go about your business. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

Seeing that no one paid him any attention, Xu Yan left awkwardly with his tail between his legs.

He had to hurry back and tell Zeng Fei what had happened here.

The Waste Hall could not be dealt with for the time being. He would have to find another plan!

After Xu Yan left, the frozen atmosphere in the Waste Hall gradually eased.

Watching Xu Yan's retreating figure vanish, everyone looked at one another.

They had no idea what had happened.

Why had Xu Yan suddenly undergone such a drastic change?

He had been incomparably arrogant just moments ago, so why had he suddenly slunk away in disgrace?

But all of these changes seemed to have happened only after Li Grandpa arrived, when Xu Yan had abruptly changed his face.

Especially the way Xu Yan had knelt before Li Ping'an, kowtowed, and repeatedly begged for mercy. It gave the Waste Hall disciples a small but profound shock.

They had not been controlled by Li Ping'an's Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art.

Thus, they could not see the Elder Wuchen Li Ping'an had conjured.

They had only seen Xu Yan continuously kowtowing to Li Ping'an, admitting his mistakes and apologizing.

At that moment, Li Ping'an's image in their eyes became lofty and imposing.

"Li Grandpa, why did that Xu fellow suddenly kowtow to you and beg for mercy? What exactly happened?"

Long Yun was the first to rush over and voice the doubts in his heart.

The others felt the same and nodded repeatedly.

They were all exceedingly curious.

Why had Xu Yan, who had been so overbearing just moments ago, suddenly become so humble and submissive?

Li Ping'an smiled faintly.

Naturally, he could not tell them about the Great Dream Soul-Drawing Art.

He merely said with a chuckle,

"Perhaps... he was worried that I would report the things he said earlier."

Everyone exchanged looks, each wearing an expression of disbelief.

If reporting people were really so useful,

then why would servant disciples like them live such miserable lives?

Within the sect, servant disciples had always been ignored and neglected.

No one cared who beat them, cursed them, or robbed them. No one would uphold justice for them.

Only if someone died would people from the Deacon Hall come to investigate.

Even when they investigated, it was merely a cursory inquiry that usually produced no result.

If they discovered that the person who killed a servant disciple was a senior brother or elder from the outer or inner sect,

the matter might even be dropped altogether.

In short, servant disciples could never possibly have any status.

So who in the world would believe what Li Ping'an had said?

Still, no one pressed him further.

They merely looked at Li Ping'an with eyes full of admiration.

"Li Grandpa, it would be wonderful if you could become the steward of our Waste Hall!"

One person said it sincerely.

The others deeply agreed, nodding over and over.

They had personally seen Li Ping'an trade blows with that Xu fellow just now.

That was enough to show that Li Ping'an's strength had already broken through the Body Tempering stage and reached the Qi Refining stage.

Not to mention that Li Ping'an had an easygoing personality and could get along with anyone.

He was nothing like that Xu fellow, who was nothing but a beast!

"Hehe, that will depend on the sect's arrangements."

Li Ping'an said with a chuckle.

"There is no need for everyone to worry either. That Xu fellow already promised not to make things difficult for you, so there is nothing to worry about."