Chapter 119: The Tree Wants Peace, but the Wind Won’t Stop (1)

The next day, as the light of dawn broke, the Outer Sect area of the Taiyi Holy Land had already awakened.

The Spiritual Qi permeating the air seemed more active than at night; breathing it in refreshed the spirit.

Chen Chuan changed into his moon-white Outer Sect Disciple uniform.

Afterward, he walked out of the courtyard with Wang Lan and Yang Shu to head to the Mission Hall to collect their Sect missions for the month.

"Junior Brother Chen, our missions are all randomly drawn. Getting an easy task depends entirely on luck."

"If your luck is good and you draw an easy task, it’ll be much more comfortable."

As they walked, Wang Lan introduced things enthusiastically, his round, chubby face carrying a bit of the shrewdness of an experienced hand.

He described various missions to Chen Chuan.

Tasks like caring for Spirit Beasts or cleaning the Wind Listening Pavilion were the easiest.

If not that, then assisting the Alchemy Room in organizing medicinal herbs.

Though tedious, there was no risk, and occasionally one could absorb some medicinal aura, which was slightly beneficial to cultivation.

Yang Shu nodded and added details from the side.

Chen Chuan listened silently, committing the information to memory.

He also hoped his luck would be good enough to draw an easy mission.

While he was lost in thought, five people approached from around a corner in the road ahead.

All five were dressed in Outer Sect Disciple uniforms.

The leader was tall with a face full of arrogance and a disdainful gaze; he carried a naturally overbearing aura as he walked.

Behind Zhao Hengjiang followed four people, each with a strong presence and shifty eyes, wearing expressions of flattery mixed with arrogance.

The four were clearly led by the tall youth.

When Wang Lan and Yang Shu saw the leader’s face clearly, their bodies instantly stiffened.

The smile on Wang Lan’s face froze, quickly transforming into a state of near-humble terror.

Yang Shu instinctively retracted his neck, his eyes darting as he didn’t dare to look the other party in the eye.

Their previously relaxed pace became heavy and hesitant.

Chen Chuan noticed the change in the two and sensed they might have a grudge with the other party.

Though he didn’t want to cause trouble, since they were on the same path, they couldn’t avoid them.

He quietly observed the group, especially the tall youth leading them.

Zhao Hengjiang naturally saw Wang Lan and Yang Shu as well.

His lip curled, and a playful, cat-and-mouse smile immediately appeared on his face.

He stopped, crossed his arms, and stood there leisurely.

Seeing this, the four lackeys beside him also stopped, their faces showing a knowing sense of schadenfreude.

From Zhao Hengjiang’s unconcealed, playful smile, Chen Chuan was certain that this person had ill intentions.

Wang Lan and Yang Shu were clearly the targets of his bullying.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Wang Lan and Yang Shu could only bite the bullet and step forward.

Stopping about ten feet from Zhao Hengjiang, the two forced expressions of extreme respect and even a hint of fawning onto their faces.

Then, they both bowed in unison, their voices carrying an imperceptible tremor:

"Wang Lan greets Senior Brother Zhao."

"Yang Shu greets Senior Brother Zhao."

They kept their posture extremely low, fearing that even the slightest negligence would bring trouble upon them.

However, their humility did not bring peace.

Zhao Hengjiang acted as if he hadn’t heard their greetings, remaining with his arms crossed and that disgusting, playful smile on his face, showing no intention of speaking.

He didn’t speak, but the lackeys by his side understood.

One of them immediately took a step forward and pointed at Wang Lan and Yang Shu’s noses, cursing loudly:

"Wang Lan, Yang Shu! Are you two blind? Is this how perfunctorily you greet Senior Brother Zhao?"

"Your waists aren’t bent low enough, and your voices aren’t loud enough. Do you look down on Senior Brother Zhao in your hearts?"

Wang Lan and Yang Shu shuddered in fear, their faces turning pale. They quickly bent their waists even deeper, almost ninety degrees, and said repeatedly:

"We wouldn’t dare! We have no such intention! Please forgive us, Senior Brother Zhao! Please forgive us!"

They felt humiliated in their hearts, but they didn’t dare show even a hint of it.

Zhao Hengjiang seemed satisfied with their terror, but he still had no intention of letting them go.

He gave a soft snort and signaled the lackey who had just spoken with a look.

A ferocious smile immediately appeared on the lackey’s face. He strode forward and, without a word, swung his palm and slapped Wang Lan and Yang Shu hard across their faces.

Slap! Slap!

Two crisp, loud slaps echoed through the valley.

Wang Lan and Yang Shu’s heads whipped to the side, and clear red handprints instantly appeared on their faces.

"Useless trash! You don’t understand the rules at all!"

The lackey wasn’t satisfied after the slaps; he raised his foot and kicked both of them hard in the stomach.

With a cry of pain, Wang Lan and Yang Shu were kicked back several steps and fell to the ground on their backsides, looking incredibly pathetic.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing their miserable state, Zhao Hengjiang and his lackeys burst into unrestrained laughter, as if they had seen something extremely amusing.

Wang Lan and Yang Shu clutched their burning cheeks and aching stomachs, struggling to climb up from the ground.

The two kept their heads down, angry but not daring to speak, forced to suppress all their humiliation and rage deep in their hearts.

They knew full well that in the Outer Sect, Zhao Hengjiang had a significant background and strong personal strength; they simply couldn’t afford to offend him.

Chen Chuan watched coldly from the side, understanding the situation.

This wasn’t just a simple argument between Zhao Hengjiang and the two; it was one-sided oppression.

He was a newcomer and only recently acquainted with Wang and Yang, with no deep friendship, so he followed the principle that less trouble is better than more.

He had no intention of intervening.

This was their grievance, and he didn’t want to get involved for no reason.

However, the tree wants peace, but the wind won’t stop.

After the four lackeys finished laughing, they stepped forward and roughly dragged Wang Lan and Yang Shu up from the ground.

They then shoved the two in front of Zhao Hengjiang and barked:

"Kneel! Kowtow and apologize to Senior Brother Zhao. If he’s in a good mood today, maybe he’ll spare you."

Zhao Hengjiang maintained that playful expression, looking down from his height at the trembling Wang Lan and Yang Shu.

He seemed to be enjoying the process of their struggle and humiliation.

Wang Lan and Yang Shu’s fists were clenched tight, their nails nearly digging into their palms. Their chests heaved as their inner rage and humiliation almost broke through their reason.

But the cruelty of reality was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing any thought of resistance.

In the Outer Sect, offending Zhao Hengjiang meant their future would be fraught with difficulty, and they might even be targeted in secret, ending their cultivation path.

Finally, under the complex gazes of some Outer Sect Disciples who had gradually gathered around.

The two grit their teeth, their knees buckled, and with a thud, they knelt heavily on the bluestone slabs before Zhao Hengjiang and kowtowed deeply.

"Please... please forgive us, Senior Brother Zhao..."

Their voices carried an undeniable tremor and humiliation.

The smile on Zhao Hengjiang’s face became even more smug.

At that moment, the gazes of the four lackeys finally landed on Chen Chuan, who had been standing silently to the side.