59: Tian Wenjing

Just then, a cool and aloof figure passed through the crowded crowd and appeared silently at the side and rear of the high platform; the person was none other than Li Qinghe.

He had just finished collecting the tenth bottle of Full Moon Qi and had arrived just in time, travel-worn from his journey. He had changed into a set of clean cloth clothes, with that unremarkable Storage Pouch hanging from his waist. His presence was restrained, but his fresh and refined temperament, which seemed out of place, still caught the attention of many.

"Fourth Brother, you're back," Li Qingfeng said with a slight nod, his voice calm.

"Third Brother," Li Qinghe replied with a nod, his gaze also shifting toward the excited crowd below.

When Wang Tiezhu and Zhang Shitou saw Li Qinghe, they also cast friendly glances his way.

Zhang Shitou even thought to himself: This Fourth Young Master truly has an extraordinary temperament. This Immortal Ascension Assembly is likely the key step for him to "legitimately" clear his identity.

The assembly had not yet officially begun, and the crowd was bustling. Li Qinghe's gaze swept across the scene casually, suddenly coming to a halt at a secluded corner on the edge of the square.

A burst of noisy laughter from the outskirts of the square caught his attention.

Several youths in their mid-teens were surrounding a tall but dull-eyed and clumsy young man (Liu Dazhuang, the famous "Big Idiot" of Willow Tree Village), pushing and shoving him with giggles and laughter.

"Big Idiot, flip! Do another somersault! If you do it well, Brother Goudan will give you candy!"

A youth who was taller and sturdier than his peers and dressed quite decently stood with his hands on his hips, directing the scene with an air of triumph.

The foolish youth clearly had an intellectual disability. Hearing the word "candy," his cloudy eyes brightened for a moment. He clumsily stumbled as he tried to perform a somersault, but he ended up falling heavily to the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt, which caused Goudan and his companions to burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! So damn stupid! Can't even do a somersault!"

"Brother Li, look at how stupid he is!"

"Get up! Do it again! No candy if you don't flip!"

This scene was like a key that instantly unlocked the floodgates of Li Qinghe's long-buried memories!

Li Qinghe was all too familiar with this flashy youth leading the group! It was Li Youcheng, a clan member who had bullied him countless times as a child, tricked him into eating dog feces, and nearly caused him to drown by making him fall into the river! His nickname was "Goudan"!

Later, after he had regained his clarity and returned from hunting, this Goudan, relying on his clan status, had even dared to lead a group to block his path, shouting "Little Idiot" and even trying to snatch the rabbits he had caught! In the end, he had been beaten until he ran home crying for his parents to complain.

Relying on their status as members of the clan's direct lineage, his parents had brought several clan elders in a fierce Aura to his door, forcing him to kowtow and apologize to Goudan!

Li Qinghe clearly remembered that he had been unusually calm at the time. In front of everyone, he had easily split two stacked blue bricks and warned Goudan word for word:

"From now on, if I see you and you insult me again, I'll hunt you down and beat you. I'll beat you every single time I see you!"

If his hunting master Li Shouxin (a member of the clan) had not been present to scold Goudan's family and smooth things over, those biased clan elders would never have let the matter rest. Since then, Goudan had been like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he saw him.

A surge of cold fury instantly rose from the depths of Li Qinghe's heart!

Especially seeing Li Youcheng using the same tricks to toy with another mentally impaired person, that anger almost burst from his chest!

He strode directly toward the noisy crowd, his voice cold as he clearly called out that name:

"Li Youcheng!"

A voice as cold as ice water in the middle of winter rang out. It wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the surrounding noise and struck Li Youcheng's ears.

Li Youcheng, who was triumphantly directing the idiot to flip somersaults, shuddered. This voice... carried a sense of familiarity that made him feel a chill deep in his bones!

He turned his head abruptly. When he saw Li Qinghe approaching and staring at him expressionlessly, the smile on his face instantly froze, and the color drained completely from his face!

"Brother... Brother Qinghe?" Li Youcheng subconsciously swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling, and his hands and feet didn't know where to go.

The terrifying memories of being pinned to the ground and beaten by Li Qinghe as a child, as well as later seeing the other party split a brick with one hand, instantly overwhelmed him.

"What are you doing?" Li Qinghe's voice had no ups or downs, but it was more hair-raising than a roar.

"No... nothing, just... just playing with the idiot..." Li Youcheng stammered, trying to force a fawning smile.

Slap!

A crisp and loud slap landed hard on Li Youcheng's face! The force was so great that his head jerked to the side, his cheek instantly became red and swollen, and his ears rang!

"Motherfucker!" Li Qinghe's voice suddenly rose, carrying uncontrollable anger, exploding like thunder in this small area, causing the nearby crowd to look over.

"Was an idiot born just for you to play with?!"

"Is an idiot not a person?!"

"Was an idiot not raised by parents?!"

"Does an idiot fucking deserve to be toyed with by you?!"

Goudan was dazed from the blow. Clutching his face, tears welled up in his eyes. He no longer had any of his previous arrogance. With a sob in his voice, he said, "Brother Qinghe... I was wrong... I... I'll go buy candy for the idiot... I'll go buy it right now..."

"Stop!" Li Qinghe barked coldly. Goudan immediately froze on the spot, shaking like a leaf.

Li Qinghe's fierce gaze swept over Goudan's companions, who were also scared witless. He pointed his finger at them, each word like an icicle:

"And you guys! Every single one of you! You're all big and strong, yet you don't do anything productive or work at all! You only know how to bully your fellow villagers and toy with honest people! Whose power are you relying on? Hmm?!"

"If I catch you bullying others again," Li Qinghe's gaze swept over their lower bodies with tangible intensity.

"I'm telling you, I'll chop your dicks off!"

"Get lost!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We won't dare to do it again! Spare us, Brother Qinghe!"

"We're leaving! We're leaving right now!"

Those youths were scared pale by the invisible Evil Qi emanating from Li Qinghe. They didn't dare to make a sound and scrambled away, faster than rabbits.

Li Youcheng also clutched his stinging face, not daring to say a word. He lowered his head like a startled rabbit and quickly slipped into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

Many people in the square witnessed this scene and looked over. Li Qingfeng and the others on the stage naturally noticed as well. Li Qingfeng frowned slightly but didn't speak, while Wang Tiezhu grinned, a knowing smile flashing in his eyes.

Li Qinghe took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger, and ignored the gazes of others. He walked to the side of the foolish young man who was still lying on the ground with a dazed look, crouched down, and gently helped him up.

Looking at that honest face covered in scars and dirt, the coldness in Li Qinghe's eyes dissipated, and he sighed.

He reached out and gently brushed the dust off Liu Dazhuang's clothes with gentle movements. Then, from the unremarkable animal-skin Storage Pouch at his waist, he pulled out two warm meat pancakes wrapped in oil paper and pressed them into Liu Dazhuang's hands.

"Take these and go home to eat," Li Qinghe's voice softened considerably.

Liu Dazhuang stared blankly at the meat pancakes in his hands, then looked up at Li Qinghe. There seemed to be a flicker of light in his cloudy eyes.

He foolishly took the two still-warm meat pancakes, staring at them intently. He sniffed them hard, and a simple, honest smile appeared on his face.

He grabbed a pancake in each hand, seemingly unafraid of the heat, and immediately took a large bite. While chewing with effort, he muttered indistinctly:

"Thank... thank... thank you..." Then, he stopped looking at anyone else. With a meat pancake in each hand, he limped slowly toward the direction of Willow Tree Village, satisfied. His back looked lonely but no longer helpless.

Li Qinghe silently watched Liu Dazhuang's back disappear into the crowd before turning around and walking toward the high platform.

The commoners who had witnessed this scene looked at him with awe and curiosity, automatically parting to make a path for him.

On the high platform, Li Qingfeng had taken in the entire small disturbance, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. Wang Tiezhu and Zhang Shitou also looked at each other and smiled.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Wang Tiezhu took a deep breath and stood up.

His gaze swept over the dense, expectant crowd below. Infusing his voice with spiritual power, it spread clearly throughout the square:

"Silence!"

The shout was like a muffled thunderclap, instantly suppressing the noise in the square. Everyone held their breath.

Li Qingfeng stood up, his gaze sweeping over the young and hopeful faces below the stage. He said loudly:

"Today, the Immortal Ascension Assembly begins! Anyone who is at least six years old and under twenty may come forward and touch this ruler with their hand!"

He pointed to the center of the platform, where an ancient jade ruler—the Spirit-Testing Ruler—floated on a jade base, emitting a soft white light.

"Immortal fate is determined by heaven and cannot be forced. However, if one possesses a Spiritual Root, regardless of their status, they may join my sect to learn the profound methods of the immortals and protect their region! Let us begin!"