Seeing that Cai Tongsheng's confession was genuine, Li Taixing stopped embarrassing him but left him with a stern warning: "If my brothers are ever harassed again, and I find out about it, you'll face serious consequences."
Li Taixing glared at Cai Tongsheng viciously.
Cai Tongsheng nodded frantically, his voice shaking as he said, "Understood, Brother Li. Don't worry, I know exactly what to do."
"Good."
Li Taixing felt it was truly advantageous to have a master like Wang Xuanwu, whose reputation alone was enough to keep troublemakers in check.
Li Taixing glanced at Li Bingchang.
Now that Cai Tongsheng was sufficiently cowed, Li Bingchang, ignoring Cai's presence, quickly found the information Li Taixing needed. He reported back on the mission status of Lu Tong and Sun Bohu.
After learning the details of their assignment, Li Taixing thanked him and headed toward the mission site to find his friends.
The task Lu Tong and Sun Bohu had been assigned was simple—chopping firewood. As Li Taixing made his way there, he couldn't shake the feeling that something might go wrong.
---
At the back mountain, Lu Tong and Sun Bohu had gathered a sizeable pile of chopped wood and were just about to pack it up when a group of Initiation disciples approached them.
"Hey, you two! Hold up a minute," one of the boys called out.
Lu Tong and Sun Bohu stopped what they were doing and turned to face the approaching group. From the way they carried themselves, it was clear these boys weren't up to any good.
"You two, put down the firewood and leave," the leading Initiation disciple demanded, pointing at their hard-earned pile of wood.
"Why?" Sun Bohu barked angrily, his eyes narrowing at the audacity of the demand.
Lu Tong's expression also soured. He knew exactly what was happening. These boys had come to rob them of the firewood they'd spent hours chopping.
"Cut the crap!" the leader spat, his face full of malice. "Get lost, or we'll make sure you regret staying."
As he said this, his companions moved in closer, forming a circle around Lu Tong and Sun Bohu. Their postures were tense and hostile, clearly ready for a fight.
"Here are your options," the leader continued, his voice dripping with menace. "One: you hand over the firewood and keep chopping for us. Two: we beat you senseless and leave you here for someone to collect your broken bodies."
The boys grinned wickedly, clearly enjoying the intimidation.
Sun Bohu sized up the situation. There were four or five of them, while he and Lu Tong were only two. A fight seemed inevitable, but the odds weren't in their favor. He leaned toward Lu Tong and whispered, "I'll hold them off. You run back and get help."
But Lu Tong shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on Sun Bohu's shoulder. "We're brothers. We share blessings and hardships together. If they want to take what's ours, we'll make them work for it."
Sun Bohu grinned. "That's the spirit!"
Seeing the two of them stand defiant, the Initiation disciple's face twisted with anger. "You little punks! How dare you defy us?! Beat them up!"
The group of Initiation disciples surged forward, fists raised, ready to unleash violence. They weren't concerned about seriously injuring Lu Tong and Sun Bohu; as long as no one caught them, they could do as they pleased.
Sun Bohu wasn't one to back down. Letting out a roar, he grabbed a thick piece of firewood and swung it like a club at the nearest disciple. The sound of wood striking flesh echoed through the forest, followed by a pained scream.
Lu Tong, his fighting spirit ignited, grabbed his own piece of firewood and joined the fray.
"Let's do this!"
The two of them fought ferociously, outnumbered but not outmatched. Their improvised weapons gave them an edge, and they swung them with wild abandon. The Initiation disciples, unarmed and caught off guard, quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a beating.
"Ow!"
"Stop! Stop, it hurts!"
Before long, the bullies were nursing their wounds and scrambling to get away from the onslaught. The leader, seething with rage, spat out a threat as he limped backward. "You'll pay for this! My elder brother's going to come and teach you both a lesson. Just wait!"
Sun Bohu, still fueled by adrenaline, snarled at the fleeing disciple. "Not satisfied yet, huh?"
Without hesitation, he hurled his firewood after the boy, and with a resounding thwack, it struck the back of his head.
"Ah!" the disciple yelped in pain, clutching his skull as he scurried off with the rest of his gang.
"Hah! Serves them right!" Sun Bohu laughed, spitting on the ground for emphasis. "Some thugs thought they could take on me, Sun Bohu? Fat chance!"
Lu Tong couldn't help but smile, though he was more cautious. "We won this round, but they'll be back. We should gather our things and get out of here."
He was right. The only reason they had come out on top was because the other group had been unarmed and overconfident. If they returned with reinforcements, things would get ugly.
"Let's move fast," Lu Tong urged.
They quickly gathered their firewood and were just about to leave when they heard a loud clamor from up the trail.
"Who dares to lay a hand on me? Someone's looking for death!"
Lu Tong and Sun Bohu turned toward the source of the voice and saw a stocky boy leading a large group of Initiation disciples toward them. This time, there were at least twenty of them, and they looked ready for a serious fight.
"Looks like our luck just ran out," Lu Tong muttered.
Sun Bohu's face twisted with disbelief. "Twenty of them? What is this, a festival? And some of them are carrying sticks!"
The Initiation disciple who had been beaten earlier pointed at Lu Tong and Sun Bohu, a wicked smile on his face despite his pain. "Boss, it's them. They said even if you showed up, they'd still beat you up! Hiss... Ah, it hurts!"
Beside him were the other Initiation disciples who had been pummeled, still moaning from their injuries.
"Hmph," the leader grunted, eyeing Lu Tong and Sun Bohu with contempt. "Don't worry, I'll make them regret laying a finger on you. Boys, let's teach them a lesson."
At his signal, the twenty-odd Initiation disciples rushed toward Lu Tong and Sun Bohu.
The two friends exchanged grim looks, both knowing they stood little chance against such overwhelming numbers. With a sigh, they put down the firewood they'd just packed and picked up fresh logs, preparing to fight once more.