The cultivators were stunned.
They had come for Li Mingbai, but upon seeing him, they couldn't be happier. After all, they had planned to steal the jade pendant and couldn't possibly defeat him in a direct confrontation.
Despite their inner panic, they didn't show it. Their disguises were undoubtedly undetectable, so they just needed to come up with an excuse to get by. Besides, it seemed Li Mingbai lived here, so they could always find another opportunity to steal it later.
Li Mingbai turned to walk back. These people were wearing outer disciple robes, so they must have been out training.
The moment he turned, the wooden stick on his back flew out on its own. Li Mingbai quickly turned back and saw the wooden stick floating quietly in mid-air.
Li Mingbai narrowed his eyes. This stick, bestowed by Senior Brother Ye, was a treasure. Now that the treasure was acting up, it was clear these disciples had ulterior motives!
"Speak, who are you!" Li Mingbai demanded sternly. "What is your purpose for infiltrating my Purple Cloud Sect!"
The cultivators' hearts leaped! How did this kid figure them out when their disguises were so good? Wait… this kid might not have figured them out; he could just be bluffing! Or perhaps he knew the original owners of these bodies and was joking.
"Junior Brother, you jest," they said, all smiling. "We were just preparing to go out for training." When unsure what to do, smiling seemed like the safest bet!
Li Mingbai was confused. Perhaps he had overthought things?
At that moment, the wooden stick suddenly glowed! As the light intensified, the disguises on the cultivators melted away like snow!
"Aha! So you're a bunch of perverts!" Li Mingbai's spirits soared. "Since you're here, you're not leaving!"
Li Mingbai reached out to grab the stick in the air, intending to bring justice. But he failed. Because the stick moved on its own.
The stick swayed a few times in the air, as if aiming. Once it seemed to have found its target, the stick transformed into a streak of light and lashed out at the leader!
The leader was terrified! He wanted to run, but his body felt frozen, utterly immobile! He could only watch as the terrifying stick swung towards him…
"Bang—!"
In the silent night, the sound was exceptionally clear. The leader was effortlessly swept into the air and then vanished in a shower of starlight.
"Bang—!"
"Bang—"
"Bang—!"
…
The stick swung repeatedly, quickly sending all the cultivators to the heavens. After it was done, the stick flew back into the black cloth on Li Mingbai's back. Li Mingbai was dumbfounded! What the heck, this actually worked?!
A thousand words churned in his chest, finally condensing into one sentence: Senior Brother Ye is awesome!!!
"Amazing, truly amazing!" a voice suddenly rang out.
"What the…" Li Mingbai nearly fell to the ground in shock and quickly looked behind him. He saw the Second Elder lying on the ground in a strange pose, clapping.
"Second Elder, what are you doing?" Li Mingbai rushed over, intending to help him up.
"Don't touch me!" the Second Elder quickly exclaimed. "I am a highly poisonous toad right now; touching me means death!"
"Croak! Croak!" The Second Elder, imitating a toad's call, hopped around on the spot.
Li Mingbai rubbed his head, bewildered. In his memory, the Second Elder was a stern and unsmiling person. Making such a joke clearly didn't fit his personality! But the Second Elder seemed so serious now. Why would he go to such lengths for a joke?
Suddenly, Li Mingbai had a flash of inspiration! He remembered something! The entire sect knew that the Second Elder liked to add extra ingredients when refining pills. What was more, he always insisted on testing them himself. The Second Elder often did inexplicable things after consuming his own concocted pills. It seemed highly likely that this was such an instance.
Li Mingbai also knew about the Second Elder's tragic past – his family wiped out overnight. It was said his wife and children had died from poisoning. It was from that time on that the Second Elder started experimenting with innovations when refining pills. He couldn't accept the reality and was still trying to develop a pill to cure his wife and children's poisoning. All in all, the Second Elder was a pitiable man.
"Second Elder, don't be afraid, I won't harm you," Li Mingbai said with a kind expression and slowly walked towards him. It wasn't right for such a pitiful senior to be lying on the ground like this.
"Damn it, those villains are chasing me again!" The Second Elder suddenly leaped into the distance. "Just say you didn't see me!" Even though he leaped with his limbs, the Second Elder's speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, he was gone!
At the same time, a crowd of disciples rushed towards them.
"Junior Brother Li… have you seen my master?" the Second Elder's eldest disciple asked, panting.
"He went towards the lotus pond," Li Mingbai quickly replied. "He left not long ago; if you hurry, you should be able to catch him."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Li!" the eldest disciple said gratefully and led his men in pursuit.
"Oh, right, Junior Brother Li," the eldest disciple suddenly turned around as he ran a few steps. "What animal did he… transform into just now?"
"The Second Elder said he was a toad just now," Li Mingbai replied quickly. "Never mind, I'll go with you. More people means more help!"
"I appreciate your help, Junior Brother!"
A quarter of an hour later, they finally found the Second Elder in the lotus pond. However, the Second Elder was no longer a poisonous toad but had transformed into a lotus flower… The disciples rushed over and skillfully bound the Second Elder like a zongzi.
"I am a noble ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus! You cannot treat me like this!" the Second Elder struggled and twisted his body desperately, but it was useless. "If doom is inevitable, please add more sugar and vinegar; I like to eat sweet and sour lotus roots!" the Second Elder's voice gradually faded into the distance.
"Thank you for your help, Junior Brother Li," the eldest disciple bowed to Li Mingbai.
"You're too kind, Senior Brother. I didn't do much," Li Mingbai replied quickly, then hesitated. "I remember that even when the Second Elder acted up after taking pills before, it wasn't this bad. Why is it like this this time…"
"Alas…" the eldest disciple sighed deeply. "This time it's different… Three days ago, Master consumed the pills again when we weren't paying attention… He's been like this for three days straight."
"This serious?!" Li Mingbai was shocked.
"It's hard to say…" the eldest disciple shook his head helplessly. "Alright, Junior Brother Li, I must get back now."
Watching the eldest disciple's receding figure, Li Mingbai sighed in his heart.
The next day.
At the residence of Erha and the little fox.
After a full meal, a group of spirit beasts stood proudly in formation. Erha patted the coffin lid, signaling that it was time to depart. Just then, a sound came from outside the door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang…"