After settling the little boy, Yang Kai didn’t rush to leave. After all, the boy had given him a ration of food that night, and he felt he couldn’t leave until the boy woke up.
The hunter was busy running in and out, extremely anxious, and was soon driven out by the physician from the clinic—annoyed by his constant chatter.
"Doctor Chu said that it was fortunate we treated him in time, or my son would have really been in danger. Sir, your great kindness is something I, Zhang Shan, can never repay. I will work like a horse or an ox for you for the rest of my life, at your command."
With that, he knelt down before Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t help him up, but smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, a man’s knees are worth their weight in gold. Your kneeling has already repaid the favor. There’s no need to remember it in the future. Besides, I ate a ration of food from your son, so in the end, I still owe you."
Only then did he help the hunter Zhang Shan to his feet.
Zhang Shan, moved to tears, said, "Sir, you are truly a good person!"
As they were talking, the physician from the clinic came out and said to Zhang Shan, "There’s no serious problem now, don’t worry. However, he lost a lot of blood and will probably sleep for a while longer. He’ll be fine when he wakes up."
Hearing this, Yang Kai and Zhang Shan finally felt relieved.
As his mind relaxed, Yang Kai felt a bit tired. The day had been too intense, and he had also been injured, losing a lot of blood. Although he had been excited at the time, it still took a toll on his body. Once he relaxed, he fell asleep and slept until dawn.
In the early morning, at Lingxiao Pavilion.
Many disciples had risen early, excited, and gathered together, eagerly looking forward to something. Their eager eyes, stretched necks, and restless hearts made them look like a group of women waiting at home for their husbands who had been away on a long campaign, so focused and so expectant.
As time passed, more and more people gathered, all looking in the same direction.
That direction was where Yang Kai’s small house was located.
Today was another day when they could challenge Yang Kai! How could the Lingxiao Pavilion disciples let such an opportunity pass, given the almost free contribution points? Some felt sorry for Yang Kai’s situation, as he had to be beaten every five days, which was truly miserable.
But upon further thought, they realized that their sympathy wouldn’t change anything. There were so many people planning to challenge Yang Kai, and if they didn’t, someone else would. Since he was going to be beaten anyway, they might as well do it themselves. Thinking this way, they gathered to try their luck.
Yes, if I’m chosen, I’ll go easy on him, so he won’t be in too much pain, many of them thought to themselves.
Usually, Yang Kai would have already gotten up to sweep the floor by this time, but today was strange. The disciples waited for a long time without seeing Yang Kai. They stood on tiptoe, peering at the small house, but still couldn’t see him.
"What’s going on with Yang Kai? Did he oversleep? Why hasn’t he come out yet?"
"I don’t know. Come to think of it, we haven’t seen him for a few days."
"Could he have left Lingxiao Pavilion?"
"That’s impossible. You know Yang Kai’s stubbornness. He wouldn’t leave even if you beat him to death. If he was going to leave, he would have done so months ago when he was demoted to a probationary disciple. Why wait until now?"
The people present were discussing, but no one knew that Yang Kai had taken leave a few days ago to go to Blackwind Mountain and hadn’t returned yet. It was no wonder, as Yang Kai didn’t socialize much, and no one paid attention to his whereabouts.
Amidst the noise, a group of people approached from not far away. The leader had a face like a jade crown, and his appearance was as graceful and handsome as a willow in the wind, a true beauty. However, for some reason, his expression was somewhat gloomy, and he was grinding his teeth as he walked, cursing someone.
Beside this young man, many Lingxiao Pavilion disciples followed, surrounding him like stars around the moon, making him stand out even more.
Upon arriving, the young man saw the large crowd and frowned, asking, "What’s going on? Why are there so many people here?"
One of the people beside him quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Young Master Su, today is the day when Yang Kai can be challenged, so the brothers and sisters have gathered here, waiting to earn contribution points."
The young man called Young Master Su raised an eyebrow and laughed, "It seems our Senior Brother Yang is having a tough time."
His words were filled with schadenfreude and amusement.
"Yes, he basically gets beaten every five days, and they only stop when he’s unconscious," the person who spoke earlier explained.
Young Master Su laughed again, "Yes, somehow, I feel a lot of my anger has been vented, but it’s not enough. I must drive him out of Lingxiao Pavilion. As long as he’s not a Lingxiao Pavilion disciple, I can do whatever I want with him."
"Right, Young Master Su. This guy dared to ruin your good time in Wumei Town, not knowing how many eyes Ma Wang has. He should have found out who Young Master Su is. He’s too overconfident!"
This flattery made Young Master Su very comfortable, and he nodded repeatedly.
Young Master Su was none other than Su Mu, whom Yang Kai had encountered in Wumei Town. That day, Su Mu, along with two big men, had tried to trick Yang Kai but was exposed, leaving him furious. After returning to Lingxiao Pavilion, he began to investigate Yang Kai’s identity and name.
He had some means and channels, and within a day, he found out all about Yang Kai. However, under the strict rules of the sect, he couldn’t act directly, so he waited until today to bring people to cause trouble for Yang Kai. He didn’t expect such a large crowd to be gathered here, all waiting for Yang Kai.
This made Su Mu somewhat unhappy, and he waved his hand, saying, "Disperse them. Tell them I, Su Mu, have taken charge of Yang Kai today."
His words made it sound like Yang Kai was a girl in a brothel, one who sold both her skills and her body.
One of the people behind him hurriedly stepped forward, bowing to the crowd, "Fellow disciples, Young Master Su Mu has taken charge of the battle with Yang Kai today. Please give us some leeway. It’s a bit much to ask you to wait here, but we hope for your understanding."
Upon hearing this, many people were startled and looked at Su Mu, some of them confused, shouting, "Why should we? Yang Kai always uses a broom to choose his opponent. Why should it be you? There’s always a first come, first served rule, right?"
Before he could finish, someone pulled him aside and whispered, "That’s Su Mu. Do you know who Su Mu is?"
"Who?"
"Stupid, we have an elder surnamed Su in Lingxiao Pavilion, and one of the top ten core disciples is also surnamed Su. Guess who he is?" the person hinted.
Although the words weren’t explicit, the listener wasn’t a fool and immediately shut up. He was just an ordinary disciple and, upon hearing that Su Mu had such a powerful backer, dared not make a fuss.
"Beating Yang Kai won’t earn many contribution points. It’s not worth offending him."
"Right, right, right." The listener was enlightened and broke out in a cold sweat.