According to Li Qingmei's account, Lu Chen is the nephew of an elder from the Fifth Peak and will certainly be protected by the sect. Therefore, he wouldn't be foolish enough to directly hand over the Xunchen Incense and Li Qingmei's body.
"If everything Sister Qingmei said is true, given Lu Chen's sinister nature, he might even try to find the person who reported the incident and kill me to silence me."
Xu Taiping dragged Li Qingmei's body back into the courtyard, pondering in his heart.
That night, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from Xu Taiping's bedroom in the Green Bamboo Residence. Immediately, Xu Taiping, with his somewhat immature voice, angrily shouted:
After properly placing Li Qingmei's body, he lit a stick of Xunchen Incense. From the images formed by the incense smoke, he saw scenes of Lu Chen torturing Li Qingmei.
The scenes he witnessed were far beyond what a few simple words could describe. Calling Lu Chen a beast was because he only knew a few dirty words, as Lu Chen's actions were worse than those of a beast.
"Sister Qingmei, I will definitely hand this Xunchen Incense to Sister Zijin. I will also make your injustice and Lu Chen's crimes known to the public."
Xu Taiping put away the last two sticks of Xunchen Incense, clenched his fists, and stared blankly at the table he had smashed to pieces.
He did not consider himself a person with a sense of justice and even believed that one could be selfish for survival. However, if someone as evil as Lu Chen could not receive punishment, it would make him question the meaning of his existence.
"Grandpa often says, 'Out of sight, out of mind,' but even if I close my eyes, I cannot forget the scene of Sister Qingmei begging for mercy from that beast."
Xu Taiping looked at the pile of broken table pieces, his tone unusually cold.
"Was it you who reported the incident?"
Two men in the Qingxuan Sect disciple robes came to the gate of Xu Taiping's small courtyard.
"Two seniors, it was me who reported the incident."
Xu Taiping politely responded.
"You, an outer sect disciple, also deserve to call us seniors?"
The man with the hooked nose on the left glared at Xu Taiping viciously.
These two disciples belonged to the Liufeng Hall of the Xifeng Pavilion, responsible for handling incidents where disciples were attacked by monsters. Although they were also based in the lower mountain, they were genuine inner sect disciples, with a status only slightly lower than the disciples of the seven peaks.
"Let's get to the point, don't try to get close to us."
The man with a pockmarked face waved his hand impatiently.
So, Xu Taiping didn't waste any more words and recounted the incident where he encountered a ghost and was attacked by a monster controlled by the ghost to the two disciples of the Liufeng Hall.
Of course, he omitted all the details related to Li Qingmei.
"Your case is quite complicated. I need to report it to the head of the Liufeng Hall first, then the head of the Liufeng Hall will report it to the head of the Xifeng Pavilion, and finally, the head of the Xifeng Pavilion will report it to Elder Black Dragon for handling."
The pockmarked face disciple stroked his chin and said with a difficult expression.
Xu Taiping quickly asked.
"Fast, it could take three months; slow, it could take half a year to a year."
The man with the hooked nose crossed his arms, a sly smile on his lips as he glanced at Xu Taiping.
"Will it take that long? Can it be faster? That ghost is already targeting me."
"Do you think our Liufeng Hall is there just for you? We can't handle things whenever you want."
The man with the hooked nose glared at Xu Taiping viciously.
"Old Zuo, speak nicely. Why are you so aggressive to this young brother?"
The pockmarked face disciple stepped in to mediate.
"Actually, if you want to get rid of that ghost quickly, there is a way."
He grinned at Xu Taiping, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.
Xu Taiping was also curious.
"It depends on how much merit money you can offer."
The pockmarked face disciple extended his hand, rubbing his thumb and index finger together.
"So, you want to extort us outer sect disciples under the guise of exorcism. No wonder Sister Qingmei didn't trust you."
He thought to himself, understanding why Li Qingmei had not reported the incident.
"Two seniors of the Liufeng Hall, I haven't been in the Green Bamboo Residence for long, and I don't have much merit money."
Although he had seen through their true nature, Xu Taiping did not expose them on the spot, wanting to see how shameless they could be.
"No problem if you don't have merit money. Just wear this bracelet and sign a contract with us, promising to hand over 70% of your harvest this year to us two, and we will ensure your safety."
The man with the hooked nose took out a copper bracelet from his pocket.
Xu Taiping felt a chill run down his spine.
He had expected them to ask for a lot, but he didn't think they would demand 70%. If he gave away 70%, he would likely be expelled from the Qingxuan Sect next year for not being able to pay the required fees.
"70% is not much. You must understand that you are being targeted by a ghost. If anything goes wrong, you won't even be able to save your life!"
The pockmarked face disciple threatened Xu Taiping.
The faces of these two men made Xu Taiping feel even more disgusted. He thought to himself, "Sister Linglong was right; in the lower mountain, you can only rely on yourself."
His last hope of relying on the sect to solve the ghost problem was extinguished.
However, to avoid conflict, he did not outright refuse and said with difficulty:
"Two seniors, 70% is too much. Let me think about it."
"Fine, think about it. Here, take this communication talisman as a gift. If you encounter the ghost again, just tear it up, and we will come quickly."
The man with the hooked nose was about to get angry but was stopped by the pockmarked face, who then handed Xu Taiping a talisman.
"However, we need to take this wolf monster as evidence. We will bring it back to the Liufeng Hall."
The man with the hooked nose grabbed one of the wolf's legs and glared at Xu Taiping again.
"The people managing the outer sect are all like this. No wonder few outer sect disciples can last more than three years."
Watching the two men drag the wolf's body away, Xu Taiping muttered to himself.
"Senior, why are we leaving like this? This boy has a medicinal garden behind his courtyard, which can earn a lot of merit money. Once he signs the contract and wears the bracelet, he will have to work for us day and night."
"What's the rush? Ghosts are very vengeful. After some time, he will definitely come to us willingly."
"Don't worry, this boy hasn't even reached the Opening Gate realm; he can't hear us."
Xu Taiping was about to enter his house when he suddenly heard the whispers of the pockmarked face and the man with the hooked nose.
He didn't expect them to be so malicious and glanced at the communication talisman given by the pockmarked face, coldly thinking to himself:
"Don't worry, that day will never come."