Chapter 123 Where Are My Fellow Disciples

"Senior Brother, things seem a bit lively down there. Could it be that many people have come?" Feng Bujue's cultivation was much higher than Zhang Ergou's, and his five senses were far keener.

"Oh, is that so?" Zhang Ergou was slightly puzzled, then stood up and looked toward the mountainside, only to find a dark mass that seemed to be a crowd of people.

"Senior Brother, time to get to work. There are quite a few people this time. The Sect Leader's alchemy skills are truly too appealing." Zhang Ergou said with a smile.

The more people came seeking pills, the happier Zhang Ergou was.

Because this boosted his reputation. With his current status in the outer sect, his junior brothers already called him Brother Dog. If his fame grew a bit more, wouldn't they respectfully address him as Master Dog?

...

"Senior Brother, those outer sect disciples are following us up." An alchemy disciple from Danding Peak said, noticing a group of outer sect disciples trailing behind.

"Hmph, let them come. Soon they'll see who is truly number one in the Sacred Sect." Li Shun snorted coldly.

Li Shun did not wait, knowing he couldn't afford to. If this continued, how would they survive?

They had been living so comfortably in the sect precisely because countless outer sect disciples came to them for alchemy.

But now, this Nameless Peak had snatched away their resources, causing their alchemy profits to dwindle. If this went on, they wouldn't even have scraps left.

At that moment, Zhang Ergou and his companion saw a large number of junior brothers approaching and immediately said with a smile, "Junior brothers, don't rush. Line up, one by one."

In Zhang Ergou's view, the crowd was far too large. Order had to be maintained, or chaos would ensue.

"Line up? Nonsense! Call your Sect Leader out here!" Li Shun stepped forward and shouted angrily.

Although the Sect Leader had granted Nameless Peak to them as an affiliated sect, Li Shun held it in no regard.

They were legitimate disciples of Danding Peak, and he himself was a disciple of the Supreme Elder of Danding Peak, holding a considerable status there.

As for this so-called affiliated sect, Li Shun truly didn't take it seriously.

The smiling faces of Zhang Ergou and Feng Bujue instantly darkened. Where did these fellows come from, being so insolent, demanding to see their Sect Leader right away? How outrageous!

"Hmph, listen up! This is Senior Brother Li Shun, a disciple of the Supreme Elder of Danding Peak. Hurry up and call out your so-called Sect Leader!" The flute-playing boy beside Li Shun puffed out his chest and said with an air of arrogance.

Hearing it was Danding Peak, Zhang Ergou and his companion immediately understood. It seemed these guys were here to cause trouble.

Although they hadn't been to Danding Peak recently, they knew the situation there—it must be dire, very dire.

When the Sect Lord made a move, could there be any chance of survival?

"How dare you! Do you think Nameless Peak is a place for your insolence? For years, Danding Peak has exploited the hard-earned alchemy materials of our outer sect brothers. Now our Sect Leader, unable to bear seeing the disciples' hard work stolen by force, opens the furnace to refine pills for their benefit. And you still have the nerve to come to Nameless Peak and stir up trouble?" Zhang Ergou said sternly. As for the saying 'leave some leeway for future encounters,' Zhang Ergou had no such thought.

"Hmph, sharp-tongued. Just the two of you think you can stop Danding Peak? A fool's dream. Hurry up and call your Sect Leader out." Li Shun said arrogantly, looking down on them with contempt.

What could a mere three-person Nameless Peak do to challenge Danding Peak?

...

Lin Fan had long known about the commotion outside. He had anticipated that Danding Peak would come to cause trouble.

It was inevitable.

But Lin Fan wasn't afraid. What could Danding Peak do? Could they forbid others from refining pills?

As the saying goes, rivals in the same trade are enemies. It wasn't impossible to reform them, but Lin Fan couldn't be bothered to say much to these guys.

At that moment, Lin Fan walked out of the house.

Zhang Ergou and Feng Bujue, seeing the Sect Leader arrive, immediately stepped forward. "Sect Leader, the people from Danding Peak are here to cause trouble."

"Mm, I know." Lin Fan nodded and came before the Danding Peak crowd.

"So you're Lin Fan?" Li Shun stepped forward, looking Lin Fan straight in the eye, a hint of disdain flickering in his gaze.

In Li Shun's eyes, this man was nothing special.

As for competing with Danding Peak in alchemy, that was simply asking for death.

"What business do you have?" Lin Fan asked calmly.

"Heh." Li Shun sneered. Now he asks what business they have—as if he didn't know?

"What right does your Nameless Peak have to refine pills? Do you have the sect's permission?" Li Shun demanded sternly, then turned to the outer sect disciples behind him, spreading his arms and proclaiming, "Fellow outer sect junior brothers, don't be fooled by temporary gains and harm yourselves. Alchemy is a tradition passed down through a single lineage. Danding Peak has been passed down since the founding of the Sacred Sect. If you seek cheap pills without guarantee now, you'll regret it when something goes wrong!"

Li Shun's words sounded reasonable, recounting Danding Peak's history. An ordinary person might have been fooled, but the outer sect disciples just sneered inwardly.

If Danding Peak hadn't been so ruthless in exploiting them before, they might have believed it. But now, they just took it as a joke.

"Your coming to Nameless Peak today is only because you've run out of profits to skim. Your exploitation of the disciples' hard-earned alchemy materials makes you a blight on the sect!"

"Look around—how many talented disciples have wasted their prime years because you charged exorbitant labor fees, leaving them with insufficient pills and stunted breakthroughs? And now you have the nerve to come to Nameless Peak and question us? Utterly unreasonable!" Lin Fan said indignantly.

At that moment, a stir ran through the outer sect disciples. The words the master just spoke hit home. Whether for themselves or their fellow disciples, they had all experienced this. In the past, they were helpless, but now, the more they thought about it, the angrier they became.

If the exploitation hadn't been so severe, how could they have wasted such precious time?

"Hmph, nonsense!" Li Shun, enraged by the audacity, was furious.

"Ergou, see them out. From now on, Danding Peak and dogs are not allowed in." Lin Fan flicked his sleeve and turned to leave, unwilling to engage further.

"Yes, Sect Leader." Zhang Ergou said, then urged, "Hurry up, hurry up."

Li Shun, seeing this, burst into laughter. "Just the two of you think you can drive us away? If we don't settle this today, your Nameless Peak won't have a moment's peace."

"That's right, settle this!"

"Your Nameless Peak monopolizes the outer sect disciples. If you don't give us an explanation, we'll take this all the way to the Sect Leader!"

...

At that moment, Lin Fan stopped. The Danding Peak disciples sneered, thinking he was intimidated. But when Lin Fan's contemptuous gaze swept over them, a chill ran down their spines.

"Two?" Lin Fan asked softly, then called out loudly, "Where are my fellow disciples?"