Someone seemed to have clapped You An on the shoulder. He turned his head, a little puzzled. "Friend, what is it?"
Li Chen also turned to look at the person who had tapped You An.
"What is it? I was talking about you just now-you, you, and you! Playing deaf and dumb! We clearly got here first. What gives you the right to take our seats?"
The speaker was a young man who looked like a lackey. Not only had he tapped You An, he was also barking at several people nearby who looked like rogue cultivators, intending to make them get up and surrender their seats.
Before You An could speak, someone beside him sneered. "Oh, give it a rest. Anyone can lie with their eyes wide open. You say you got here first, so that makes it true?"
"Exactly," You An agreed. "There are clearly Puppet Master apprentices here keeping order. Don't we all know perfectly well who came first and who came later?"
Seeing their nonsense exposed, one of the young man's companions hastily jerked a thumb to the side. "Friend, you're new around here, aren't you? Not knowing the rules is one thing, but you don't even recognize Master Yi?"
Surprise crossed their faces as they looked toward this so-called Master Yi. He was a middle-aged man of around fifty, dressed in fine brocade, with a rather imposing air.
He was looking at You An and the others with undisguised distaste, as though they had dirtied his seats.
You An sized them up, then said scornfully, "Master Yi, Master Dog, whatever—I really don't know him. He's not even at Foundation Establishment, and he's no Puppet Master either. What the hell is he puffing himself up like some big-tailed wolf for?"
At his words, several people nearby