Chapter 167: Are You Afraid of Pain
Inside the great hall.
Ning Qianqian poured a cup of tea for everyone, then turned and left the great hall.
After stepping out the door, she then turned to look back inside the hall.
The four people inside the hall were completely silent, each with a different expression, but all saying nothing.
Zhang Yuanshan, who had laughed so hard he spat blood, had explained that he spat blood for other reasons, not from laughing.
Although Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao both nodded to show they understood, their expressions clearly showed they didn't believe it.
It was obvious that Zhang Yuanshan had not reached Cui Hao's state of mind.
This bizarre act of his, laughing so hard he spat blood, was no better than the two who had mistaken their senior brothers.
Or perhaps it went even further beyond that.
Therefore, Zhang Yuanshan was currently holding his teacup to cover his face, and also his embarrassment.
Lin Luoyu lowered her head, looking at her own boots.
Li Xingtian, having lived an extra life after all, could still drink his tea with a calm expression at this moment.
Only Cui Hao's expression was calm, his gaze casually resting on the other three, who all looked embarrassed.
When she had interacted with Li Xingtian before, she didn't feel he was as foolish as Eldest Senior Sister had said. On the contrary, he seemed like an experienced and very capable person.
So when the rumors said Li Xingtian was a fool, Ning Qianqian didn't believe them.
It was just that Li Xingtian had only just returned today. Why were the normally calm Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao...
Also acting a bit abnormally?
Ning Qianqian didn't dwell on it, just resisted the urge to pick at her toes and turned to leave without hesitation.
She couldn't stay there any longer. She would just wait for the Sect Master to return. With his ability, he could definitely resolve the current awkwardness.
Inside the hall.
Cui Hao waited for a long while, only to see that Li Xingtian had already finished the water in his cup but still hadn't spoken.
Instead, he stared at the tea leaves, as if trying to find what was different about them.
He understood that Second Senior Brother was ultimately a bit thin-skinned. As a junior brother, it was time for him to help his senior brother out of an awkward situation.
With a smile on his face, Cui Hao offered a topic to Li Xingtian, saying:
"Second Senior Brother, I've heard that the Central Province is full of prodigies, and their opportunities are countless. I wonder if your trip to the Central Province went smoothly?"
Hearing this, Li Xingtian naturally understood his junior brother's intention. He thought back. Except for the beginning, when he was set up while tomb-robbing and caused some trouble for their master, he had been very careful and alert the rest of the time.
However, because he was too careful and alert, the process seemed a bit too timid.
It just gave people the feeling that he might have paranoia, which was hardly something to talk about.
The only real deviation was the person Zhang Yuanshan.
But this Zhang Yuanshan was now even more embarrassed than he was, and talking about him would only make things more awkward.
After thinking for a moment, Li Xingtian could only nod and say: "Mm."
Then the scene fell silent again...
Cui Hao also silently picked up the tea beside him.
However, the awkwardness didn't last long this time. After only a moment, a slightly teasing voice came from outside the great hall.
"Second Junior Brother, willing to come back?"
The four people inside the hall turned to look.
They saw three people standing at the doorway. Chu Xingchen at the front was looking at Li Xingtian with a smile on his face.
Li Yingling stood to Chu Xingchen's left, looking at her second junior brother with a hint of joy in her eyes. She was still quite happy about her junior brother's return.
Chen Baiqing stood on the right, revealing a sweet smile towards Li Xingtian.
Li Xingtian hurriedly stood up, first bowing and cupping his hands towards Chu Xingchen, and said in a serious and respectful tone: "Master, have you been well recently?"
Chu Xingchen walked toward Li Xingtian, reached out to help him up, and said with an undiminished smile:
"Why are you saying such polite pleasantries to your master? Has it only been a few days, and you've already become distant with your master?"
Li Xingtian, moved, looked up at his master and saw Chu Xingchen gently wink at him.
That sentence—"Actually, Master and you are the best of friends in the world."
Seemed to sound by Li Xingtian's ear once more.
A faint smile could not help but appear on Li Xingtian's face.
Chu Xingchen's gaze turned to Zhang Yuanshan at the side: "Who is this honored guest? Aren't you going to introduce him to your master?"
Zhang Yuanshan looked at Chu Xingchen, whose face was young but whose cultivation seemed unfathomably deep, and quickly cupped his hands, saying: "I am Zhang Yuanshan, a friend of Brother Li. I have come this time to trouble the Sect Master to take a look at an illness."
Proactively stating one's name can sometimes more easily leave a good impression.
To treat an illness?
Chu Xingchen looked suspiciously at Li Xingtian and sent a voice transmission: "Didn't I tell you? Your master only knows how to refine pills, how can I treat illnesses?"
Li Xingtian also replied via voice transmission: "It's hardly an illness, just a bit of poison poisoning. Master can just take a simple look. If it can't be cured, I'll compensate him with spirit stones and have him find another physician to look at it."
Have to compensate with spirit stones?!
Chu Xingchen perked up and looked at Zhang Yuanshan: "Then let me take a look?"
Zhang Yuanshan quickly cupped his hands toward Chu Xingchen, who looked far younger than him: "Thank you for your trouble, senior."
Getting his consent, Chu Xingchen's spiritual consciousness directly broke through Zhang Yuanshan's body-protecting spiritual consciousness. Without needing to ask much, he entered and saw that the inside of this person's body had already turned into a battlefield.
Two streams of blood were fighting desperately at this moment, and one of them had a powerful infectious quality.
This must be the poison that Li Xingtian spoke of.
Chu Xingchen withdrew his spiritual consciousness and said: "Consider yourselves lucky that you came early."
Zhang Yuanshan asked joyfully: "Senior, you have a method!?"
Chu Xingchen shrugged and said: "I'm not a healer. Your body is like a battlefield right now. There is a method, but if you follow my method, I estimate your life would be considered lost at my hands."
"...Then senior, where is my good luck? That I'll die early?"
"The good news is that the true great expert hasn't left yet."
Chu Xingchen's gaze turned to Li Yingling at the side and gave her a look.
Receiving the order, Li Yingling quickly walked outside.
Zhang Yuanshan's gaze turned to Li Xingtian, only to find that his expression was even more confused than his own.
It was obvious that Brother Li also didn't know who this great expert from his own sect was...
Li Xingtian was extremely confused at this moment. Had this sect changed too much in the time he was away?
When did the sect have someone who was a greater expert than his own master?
Soon, the two of them saw the sect's great expert.
Outside the door, Li Yingling was currently following behind a woman in a white robe.
Bai Xuanling, with a slightly displeased expression, walked into the hall and looked at the two strangers.
Soon, she locked her gaze onto Li Xingtian, then took a bottle of medicinal pills from her robes and tossed it to him, saying: "You are your master's second disciple, right? This is a meeting gift for our first time meeting."
Li Xingtian quickly caught the tossed pill bottle and looked at the bottle of pills cautiously.
As if seeing through Li Xingtian's thoughts, Bai Xuanling spoke: "I refined these, not your master. Eat them without worry."
Li Xingtian glanced up at his master, whose expression was completely calm, didn't dare to reply to that sentence, and just silently put the bottle of pills away.
Lin Luoyu, who saw this scene from the side, felt her ears burn even more.
Bai Xuanling could recognize her own martial brother at first glance, yet she, as his martial sister, had still mistaken him.
After giving the meeting gift, Bai Xuanling's gaze turned to Zhang Yuanshan.
Bai Xuanling's eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone was crisp: "Are you afraid of pain?"
Zhang Yuanshan answered cautiously: "Uh... not... not too afraid?"
Immediately after, Zhang Yuanshan saw Chu Xingchen's face reveal an expression that said 'good luck on your journey'!
Zhang Yuanshan immediately had a bad feeling and quickly wanted to change his answer: "Wait! I..."
But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a powerful spiritual force lock onto him, making him unable to speak.
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