Life on Lesser Peak quietly passed in a strange atmosphere, with Yue Qingqian engrossed in her daily "sword Dao cultivation" (digging holes), while Lin Fan wracked his brains every day trying to figure out how to "correct his junior sister's dangerous thinking."
Before they knew it, it was time for the monthly distribution of sect allowances.
For the vast majority of disciples in the Sky Profound Sect, this was a day to look forward to. The replenishment of cultivation resources meant progress in their cultivation. Yue Qingqian was no exception. It had been a month since she joined the sect, and apart from the basic mind technique her master had given her, she had yet to see real medicinal pills or spirit stones. Naturally, her heart was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
However, for Lin Fan, this day was no less than a small "calamity." It meant he had to step out of his cottage, which was protected by over three hundred layers of arrays, to interact with a living, unpredictable outsider. In his view, this was a significant karmic entanglement and a potential risk.
To face this "calamity," he had made thorough preparations before dawn. He changed out of his ordinary but clean blue Daoist robe and deliberately put on an old, faded garment with frayed cuffs. Then, he used a secret technique to perfectly suppress his aura from the third level of Qi Refining down to the first, the kind of level where one had just succeeded in guiding qi and could fail at any moment. Finally, he practiced in front of his reflection in the water, trying to make his smile look more shy, more harmless, more like that of an honest person.
With all preparations complete, Lin Fan took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and prepared to face the challenge of fate.
Just after 9 a.m., a streak of light appeared in the distant sky, approaching from afar, and finally landed in a very unstable, wobbly manner outside the courtyard of Lesser Peak. This clumsy sword-flying technique fully revealed the visitor's status—an outer sect disciple.
The visitor's name was Wang Hu. He was tall and had a somewhat fierce appearance, one of the many disciples responsible for delivering supplies from the logistics department. He put away his sword and looked at the desolate little peak with its thin spiritual energy, his eyes openly showing a thick sense of contempt and disdain.
Everyone in the sect knew that the Ninth Peak was a "retirement peak," a joke. The Peak Lord was a master who hadn't advanced in ten thousand years and shirked all responsibility, and the head disciple was a "failure" who was still in the Qi Refining stage after a hundred years of entry, a coward who never left the mountain. Sending resources to such a place was simply a waste.
He took out a limp pouch from his storage bag, didn't even look at the people in the courtyard, and casually tossed it onto the dusty ground as if shooing away a beggar. His tone was full of impatience and arrogance, "The Ninth Peak's allowance. Take it!"
Yue Qingqian had just climbed out of her "training ground" and saw this scene. Her brow furrowed, and a wave of anger surged through her. Lesser Peak was her home, and Senior Brother was the person she respected the most. How could she allow an outer sect disciple to humiliate them like this?
Just as she was about to step forward and argue, she saw Lin Fan give her a look and gently shake his head. Remembering Lin Fan's teaching—"If it can be solved with words, never use your fists; it's best not to even use words"—she forced back the retort on the tip of her tongue, but her face was still red with anger.
Lin Fan, wearing the most gentle and harmless smile he had practiced all morning, walked up as if he hadn't seen the other's terrible attitude or cared about the storage bag thrown on the ground. He bent down, gently patted the dust off the bag before picking it up, and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother. It must have been hard work."
Lin Fan's spiritual sense casually swept over the storage bag, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. But the smile on his face didn't change at all as he continued gently, "However, Junior Brother, it seems the amount in here has been miscalculated. Could I trouble you to double-check?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hu couldn't even be bothered to look at the bag again. He sneered and said in a patronizing tone, "Oh? Miscalculated? Perhaps the deacons at the logistics department have been too busy lately and made a small oversight. Besides, I see you all on Lesser Peak lead a simple life. I haven't seen you make any contributions to the sect. Using fewer resources can be considered saving for the sect and supporting other hardworking disciples."
This was an extremely shameless thing to say. Not only did he admit to skimming the allowance, but he also turned around and took the moral high ground, accusing their lineage of not contributing.
Yue Qingqian was already suppressing her anger. Hearing these words, she could no longer hold back. She took a step forward, her almond-shaped eyes wide, and rebuked, "Nonsense! How have we not contributed to the sect? The sect allowance is the right of every disciple. On what grounds do you withhold it!"
Wang Hu glanced at her sideways. Seeing it was a newly entered young girl, the contempt on his face grew even stronger. "Yo, the new junior sister has quite a temper? Here, contribution points are what matter. Do you have any? If not, then talk less. Take what you're given and be grateful. Don't be unappreciative."
"You!" Yue Qingqian trembled with anger, and the Sword Heart within her began to uncontrollably emit traces of cold intent.
Just as she was about to act, Lin Fan reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. The hand was gentle yet firm, and a calm aura transmitted from it, instantly soothing the agitation in her heart.
She turned her head and saw Lin Fan shaking his head at her, signaling her to be patient.
Lin Fan still wore that same smiling expression, unhurriedly saying to Wang Hu, "Junior Brother, you are mistaken. Contribution points are important, but the sect's rules are the very foundation of our Sky Profound Sect. Deacon Liu of the logistics department, although I am not familiar with him, I have heard that he is known for his impartiality and strict enforcement of the rules. If he were to find out that someone dared to misinterpret his intentions under his nose, withhold allowances from fellow disciples, and ruin the good reputation the logistics department has built over hundreds of years... Junior Brother, what do you think Deacon Liu would think?"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the words "Deacon Liu" had already caused the arrogant expression on Wang Hu's face to recede slightly. Deacon Liu of the logistics department was indeed known for being a tough nut to crack, and he hated it when people used his name to abuse their power for personal gain.
Seeing the change in his expression, Lin Fan knew his words had taken effect. He continued in a slow, conversational tone, "And you see, I'm the type of person who doesn't like to go out much. I prefer to stay in the library pavilion. Just a few days ago, I happened to be reading the sect's disciplinary code. I remember it clearly, Article 372 states: 'Anyone found to have withheld a large amount of a fellow disciple's allowance, causing a negative impact, shall have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the sect upon verification.'"
He paused, his smile becoming even more amiable. "Coincidentally, when I was down the mountain, I ran into Senior Brother Zhang Chong from the Hall of Discipline. He was recently promoted to captain of the enforcement team and was worried about not being able to find a case to make an example of to establish his authority. He even invited me for tea and complained about it for a long time."
Beads of cold sweat had begun to form on Wang Hu's forehead.
He had never expected that this legendary timid and reclusive senior brother would be so knowledgeable about the sect's rules, knowing even the most obscure clauses, and could even accurately bring up the two formidable figures of the logistics deacon and the discipline hall captain. This wasn't a threat; this was holding a knife to his neck!
Seeing his face turn pale and then red, Lin Fan knew the time was right. He changed his tone and offered him a way out, "Of course, I believe you didn't do it on purpose, Junior Brother. After all, we have no grudges. It must be that the deacons at the logistics department made a mistake in their haste. How about this, I won't make things difficult for you. Go back immediately, find Deacon Liu, and tell him his accounts were wrong, and ask him to provide the rest. This way, it will show that you are a responsible person, it will save everyone a lot of trouble, and it won't make things difficult for Senior Brother Zhang from the Hall of Discipline. What do you say, isn't this a perfect solution for everyone?"
His words were a mix of soft and hard, logical and well-reasoned, and he presented everything as if he were looking out for Wang Hu's best interests.
Wang Hu cursed inwardly. He knew he had hit a steel plate today. This Lin Fan was not at all the weakling the legends made him out to be. Without using a single shred of magical power, just with a few words, he had laid a trap that left him with no way out. If he dared to say "no," he was afraid the people from the Hall of Discipline would really show up at his door.
"Fine... fine! Senior Brother is right!" Wang Hu gritted his teeth and swallowed his pride. He picked up the storage bag from the ground, his face looking extremely unpleasant. "I... I'll go back and check right now!"
With that, he almost fled, summoning his sword and turning into a miserable streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.
In the courtyard, Yue Qingqian watched from the side, completely stunned. The shock in her heart was beyond words.
For the first time, she discovered that disputes didn't necessarily have to be settled by drawing swords. Her senior brother's brand of wisdom, which could kill without drawing blood and influence things subtly, seemed even more profound and powerful than the Innate Sword Heart she was so proud of!
Lin Fan watched the distant streak of light, and the gentle smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of worry and exhaustion.
"Sigh, in the end, I still got entangled in karma," he sighed and muttered to himself. "That guy today definitely hates me now. That's a potential threat. It seems my three hundred and sixty-five layers of defensive arrays are still not safe enough. I must pull an all-nighter tonight and add at least another forty-nine layers. What a hassle!"