Chapter Eighteen: Played for a Fool
“Not so good to injure my disciple!” Jian Chuan suddenly gulped down a mouthful of wine, then a sly smile curled at the corner of his lips as he slammed his foot onto the ground.
“What’s this!”
In an instant, before Shen Ziyi could react, a furious surge of energy crashed into him, sending him flying out the door.
“Your life belongs to my disciple now. Get lost!”
Hearing Jian Chuan’s disdainful voice, Shen Ziyi suddenly felt a sharp bitterness in his throat.
“Pft!”
A mouthful of blood sprayed out as Shen Ziyi’s breath faltered; the blow had violently displaced his internal organs.
Struggling to stand, Shen Ziyi glanced toward the courtyard, his eyes blazing with fury.
“Yun Yi... just you wait!”
...
In the courtyard, Yun Yi stared helplessly at Jian Chuan before him, feeling both exasperated and relieved that his money had not been wasted.
Jian Chuan lowered his head to glance at Yun Yi, took a sip of wine, then flicked a healing pill into Yun Yi’s mouth.
“Rest well and recover.”
Before Yun Yi could respond, Jian Chuan vanished once again.
“What a strange master he is!” Yun Yi sighed and began his recovery.
...
Three days later, at the task hall.
“Huh? Isn’t that the unwanted number one newbie?”
“Exactly! I heard he offended someone.”
Overhearing the chatter beside him, Yun Yi shook his head helplessly.
By now, Yun Yi had fully recovered and even made further progress. He urgently needed Qi Gathering Pills to help him reach the peak of Qi cultivation, so he came to the task hall.
Scanning the task wall, Yun Yi bypassed the one- to three-star missions and headed straight to the four-star area.
“Hahaha! Look at him—he hasn’t even reached Foundation Establishment, yet he dares to go for four-star missions!”
“Junior Brother! Even pretending has limits!”
“Yeah, Yun Yi, just stick to the one-star area for now!”
“Kid, better learn the rules first! Don’t want to die without anyone to clean up after you!”
Everyone ready to take on tasks burst into laughter at Yun Yi’s bold move; clearly, they thought he hadn’t grasped the task hall’s rules.
Yun Yi ignored them as if they were invisible, smiling gently. He had already found the task Feng Lingling mentioned.
Taking down the task card, the details appeared:
“Deliver flowers to Tianyuan No. 1.
Reward: 1000 contribution points.”
Frowning, Yun Yi muttered, “Just delivering flowers?”
Those around him, seeing his task, smiled knowingly.
“Hahaha! Rookie! You actually think earning contribution points is as easy as drinking water?”
“Idiot! Judging by his look, he probably doesn’t even know what Tianyuan is!”
Seeing Yun Yi’s stunned expression, the task hall erupted with laughter.
A slender, refined man leaned over and quietly said to Yun Yi, “Senior Brother Yun, Tianyuan is the residence for the top ten on our academy’s overall leaderboard.”
Realizing he had been so absorbed in cultivation that he had neglected to learn about academy matters, Yun Yi looked up at the slender man and asked politely, “Senior Brother, what is the leaderboard?”
Upon hearing Yun Yi call him senior brother, the man brightened and began explaining eagerly:
“The leaderboard ranks disciples based on their strength. Each generation has a segment list, but the academy also maintains an overall leaderboard. The top ten on the overall leaderboard get to live in Tianyuan, each with their own mansion.”
Understanding dawned on Yun Yi.
“Thank you for explaining, Senior Brother.”
With that, Yun Yi took the task badge and left the task hall.
“Delivering flowers shouldn’t be difficult, right?” he thought.
Just as Yun Yi pondered, a commotion suddenly erupted. Turning toward the noise, his expression darkened.
“Fatty, you run so fast—why aren’t you running now?”
Facing Mu Qian and several others, Qian Duoduo was frightened, swallowing hard. She said sternly, “Mu Qian! Yun Yi is my boss! If you lay a hand on me, he won’t let you off!”
“Hahaha! He won’t let me off? You think I’m afraid of him?”
Mu Qian sneered, his face turning grim as he shouted, “Beat him up!”
“Let’s see who dares!”
Before Qian Duoduo could cover her head, a figure suddenly darted forward, kicking the closest man flying.
“Yun Yi!”
“Boss!”
Compared to Mu Qian’s menacing tone, Qian Duoduo’s voice was filled with hope.
“Mu Qian, haven’t you learned your lesson?”
Yun Yi’s eyes gleamed with mockery, a derisive smile playing on his lips.
Hearing Yun Yi’s voice and seeing his taunting smile, Mu Qian instantly exploded with rage.
“Yun Yi! You really think I’m your defeated subordinate?”
Shouting, Mu Qian channeled his spiritual power and teleported in front of Yun Yi, throwing a punch.
Feeling Mu Qian’s cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, Yun Yi scoffed, “A power stoked by drugs! Who gave you the courage?”
In a flash, Yun Yi’s gaze sharpened. He stepped back half a pace, caught Mu Qian’s punching arm, and twisted it hard.
“Crack!”
“Ah! How dare you break my arm! Someone crush him!”
The sound of bones shattering echoed, causing Mu Qian’s men to shrink back in fear, no longer obeying him.
Seeing this, Yun Yi sneered, “Your underlings aren’t much better, are they?”
“Yun Yi! Let me go! Be sensible and let me go! My aunt is... ah!”
“Mu Hong, right?”
Yun Yi sneered disdainfully, increasing his grip and then kicked Mu Qian hard, sending him crashing into his own men.
“Are you okay, Duoduo?”
Seeing Yun Yi’s concerned gaze, Qian Duoduo was delighted.
“Boss, what kind of task did you take? Neither I nor Green Hair has ever seen you around the academy!”
“I took a four-star task: deliver flowers to Tianyuan No. 1. I’ve been training recently, so I haven’t been out.”
Hearing Yun Yi’s reply, Qian Duoduo stared at him as if he’d gone mad. After a long moment, she said in shock:
“Boss, you don’t know who lives there, do you?”
“Who?”
“The second-ranked on the leaderboard, Gu Hanqing! He’s at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment!”
Qian Duoduo looked at Yun Yi incredulously and continued:
“The flower deliveries are because the third-ranked, Shi Mingjian, has always liked Gu Hanqing, so he insists on sending a bouquet every day.”
“But boss, do you know what usually happens to those who accept this task?”
Qian Duoduo glanced at Yun Yi with a complex expression and said softly, “They all end up crippled—either a broken leg or a broken foot.”
At this, Yun Yi was stunned. Even if he were a fool, he now realized—he’d been set up!
“Uh, but that’s others’ fate! I believe in my boss’s charm to complete the task!”
Qian Duoduo looked at Yun Yi with sympathy before departing.
Staring at the task badge, Yun Yi felt like crying. He never imagined he’d be duped one day.
Sighing, knowing the task couldn’t be withdrawn, Yun Yi squared his shoulders and strode toward Tianyuan...