Take Your Grandpa's Punch

That night, in a secluded courtyard somewhere in the Heavenly Fire Sect's Outer Sect.

Zhang Qingfeng looked at the letter in his hand and suddenly snorted coldly. His face turned icy as he crumpled the paper into a ball, shook it into powder, and tossed it away.

"A mere Servant Courtyard disciple dares to bully someone from my Zhang Family? What colossal nerve!"

Zhang Qingfeng shouted coldly.

This letter had naturally been sent by Zhang Qingyun, its purpose being to have Zhang Qingfeng vent his anger for him.

"Liu Zhen, who is going to receive the Servant Courtyard disciples entering the sect tomorrow?"

A figure walked in through the doorway and said, "The Gong brothers, Gong Lian and Gong Cheng."

"Go instruct those two. Among the Servant Courtyard disciples entering the Outer Sect tomorrow, there is one called Lin Changkong. Take good care of him."

Liu Zhen was somewhat surprised. Zhang Qingfeng was now ranked fifteenth even among the Inner Sect disciples, and a few days ago, an elder had even accepted him as an inner-lineage disciple. His ranking would likely rise even higher in the future.

His main focus now should have been cultivation. Why was he still meddling in the affairs of a Servant Courtyard disciple?

But Liu Zhen did not ask. As Zhang Qingfeng's foremost lackey, he knew that Zhang Qingfeng was narrow-minded and held grudges. No matter how Lin Changkong had offended Zhang Qingfeng—

There was no doubt that Lin Changkong would not have good days ahead of him in the Outer Sect.

The next morning, Lin Changkong packed his belongings early and left with Zhang Shanhe and the other nine disciples entering the Outer Sect.

Heavenly Fire Sect disciples were broadly divided into servants, Outer Sect disciples, and Inner Sect disciples. Strictly speaking, only Outer Sect disciples counted as official disciples, while Inner Sect disciples were elite disciples.

As for Servant Courtyard disciples, they were actually people whose talent was insufficient, yet who still had a chance of becoming cultivators. They remained in the sect as servants, preserving a sliver of hope.

Thus, in terms of talent, Servant Courtyard disciples were the worst. Although Mo Yunfei had once been hailed as the number one person in the Servant Courtyard, he was already eighteen years old.

At that age, many Outer Sect disciples had already reached the Qi Gathering Realm. Thus, Zhang Shanhe repeatedly warned them that after entering the Inner Sect, they must keep a low profile and develop quietly.

After Zhang Shanhe escorted them into the Outer Sect, he left. Then, two men dressed in silk emerged, their faces filled with arrogance. The way they looked at Lin Changkong and the other Servant Courtyard disciples was dripping with contempt.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Gong Lian, and this is my older brother, Gong Cheng. We both became Outer Sect disciples the moment we entered the Heavenly Fire Sect. We are not comparable to low-talent trash like you.

From now on, in the Outer Sect, you must all remember that!"

The moment Gong Lian opened his mouth, his overwhelming sense of superiority hit them in the face.

The other nine disciples all lowered their heads, not daring to say anything.

Gong Lian and Gong Cheng were both satisfied by this sight, and the superiority in their hearts grew even stronger.

But they soon noticed that there was still one person in the crowd who had not lowered his head. Instead, he was looking around, surveying the surroundings.

That person was naturally Lin Changkong.

Gong Lian frowned, his face displeased, and stared at Lin Changkong. "I am speaking. Why are you not lowering your head?"

Lin Changkong looked at him as though he found it hilarious. "Why should I lower my head when you are speaking? You are not a dog—I do not need to lower my head to see you."

The two men's eyes immediately widened, fury surging from them.

"What audacity! A low-talent servant dares speak to Outer Sect disciples like us in such a manner? Boy, what is your name?"

"Lin Changkong."

"You are Lin Changkong?"

Gong Lian's eyes lit up. He exchanged a glance with Gong Cheng, and cold smiles curled onto both their lips.

Lin Changkong found it a little strange. He had never met these two before, so why did they seem to know him?

"Hehe, enough. Come with us. We will arrange your lodgings now."

Yet Gong Lian and Gong Cheng offered no explanation and said nothing further. With cold chuckles, they turned and led the newly admitted disciples away.

Soon, everyone else had been assigned lodging. Only Lin Changkong was still following behind the two men, without having been assigned a place.

The two led him to a corner, then turned around and stared at him with unfriendly expressions, their eyes revealing a vicious glint.

Gong Lian said, "Boy, put down your bundle and open it. We need to inspect it."

Lin Changkong did not move and instead asked, "No one else was inspected. Why do you need to inspect mine?"

Gong Lian said, "We suspect you brought prohibited items. We need to inspect them. Is there a problem?"

Lin Changkong said, "There is a problem! Since you did not inspect anyone else and insist on inspecting only mine, I have every reason to suspect that you are deliberately targeting me."

Gong Cheng sneered coldly. "You guessed right. We are deliberately targeting you. Since you know that, hand over your things. Otherwise, do not blame us for being ruthless."

The two cracked their knuckles and advanced on Lin Changkong.

Liu Zhen had instructed them the previous night to give Lin Changkong special care. So they had decided to first rob Lin Changkong of his belongings, then beat him severely.

Lin Changkong's face remained expressionless. His hand settled on the hilt of his blade, ready to make a move.

"Stop!"

At that moment, a sharp feminine cry suddenly rang out, halting Gong Cheng and Gong Lian.

Lin Changkong looked over and saw a tall, beautiful figure in red walking toward them. She was a woman with an oval face and skin as smooth as congealed cream, exceptionally beautiful.

Her crimson robes were especially eye-catching, like a blazing flame. Her hair was tied high, simple yet imposing.

With a longsword in hand, she exuded a heroic air. Clean and capable, her presence was powerful.

"Hong Ye, what are you doing here?"

Gong Lian and Gong Cheng's expressions both turned somewhat ugly upon seeing her.

The woman, Hong Ye, stared at them and said coldly, "Are you bullying newcomers again?"

Gong Lian said, "Hong Ye, do not make it sound so ugly. We are merely conducting a routine inspection."

Hong Ye said, "Bullshit! I heard everything clearly. You told him to put down his bundle. I think inspecting it is just a pretense—you really want to take his things.

You pull this stunt every year. Whenever newcomers arrive, you extort them.

It would be one thing if I had not run into you, but since I have, do not even think of bullying anyone. Get lost at once!"

The two men's faces darkened. Gong Cheng said coldly, "Hong Ye, do not get too arrogant. You are stronger than us, but you are only ranked twelfth in the Outer Sect, not much higher than Zhang Qingfeng.

Zhang Qingfeng has Elder Luo's inner-lineage backing and will certainly surpass you in the future. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. Otherwise, once you offend Zhang Qingyun, you will have no good fruit to eat later."

Lin Changkong understood. So that was why these two bastards knew who I was. Zhang Qingyun's cousin was pulling strings behind the scenes.

He moved fast.

Hong Ye shouted, "Then wait until Zhang Qingyun surpasses me before saying that! What is he acting so arrogant for before that?"

Gong Cheng was still unconvinced. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Hong Ye, this guy is merely a piece of trash from the Servant Courtyard. Is there any use in protecting him?

You can protect him today, but can you protect him forever?

Besides, we are receiving new disciples. For everyone else's safety, we have the authority to inspect newcomers. You say we are bullying him, but why are we not bullying anyone else? Why are we specifically bullying him? He must have had a problem first."

Gong Lian sneered. "Exactly!"

Lin Changkong nearly laughed. Bullying someone even came with an excuse—this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

Before Hong Ye could speak, he stepped forward himself, removed the bundle from his back with a backhanded motion, and handed it to Gong Lian. "No need to argue. You can have the bundle."

Gong Lian beamed and reached for the bundle, saying loftily, "That is more like it. At least you know what is good for you."

The instant he grabbed the bundle, Lin Changkong suddenly erupted and kicked him squarely in the crotch.

"Aah!"

Gong Lian screamed miserably, clutching his crotch as he squatted down.

Lin Changkong said, "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to collect protection money from me? Take your grandpa's punch."