"You two are bold, messing with Brother Long's people. Let's see how we deal with you today!" the delinquent leader sneered.
At that moment, Li Taixing arrived on the mountain and saw Lu Tong and Sun Bohu cornered by the group of Initiation disciples. His brow furrowed.
'This isn't good. They're in real danger,' Li Taixing thought as he noticed the piles of firewood. A sudden idea struck him.
"Psychokinesis, activate."
With his mental control, a piece of firewood suddenly floated in the air.
"What's happening?" one of the bullies asked, staring at the levitating log in confusion.
"What's going on?"
Everyone, including Lu Tong and Sun Bohu, froze at the sight of the floating firewood. They had no idea what was happening.
"Go," Li Taixing commanded silently.
The piece of wood shot forward like an arrow, directly hitting the nearest Initiation disciple.
[Ding! Tens of billions of multipliers triggered: all nearby objects of the same type can now be controlled simultaneously.]
Suddenly, the rest of the firewood on the ground also began to rise, each piece flying toward the group of bullies like a swarm of angry bees.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Ahhhh!"
Screams erupted as one by one, the delinquents were struck by flying logs. They collapsed to the ground in agony.
The scene stunned everyone.
"Run! Run away!" one of the boys stammered.
The bullies, who had been so arrogant a moment before, scattered in panic. Even Brother Long, the leader, turned tail and ran faster than the rest. He realized someone with incredible power must be helping Lu Tong and Sun Bohu from the shadows. No one in their right mind would stick around after seeing someone control that much firewood with just their mind.
"Brother Long! Wait for me!" one of the boys called after him, but Brother Long paid no attention, sprinting down the mountain. The rest of the delinquents scrambled to follow him, dragging their wounded comrades as best they could.
Meanwhile, Li Taixing, still hidden nearby, was amazed.
'I didn't expect this kind of amplification!' Li Taixing thought. Originally, he could control only one piece of firewood, but now, thanks to the tens of billions of multipliers, all of the logs had been at his command.
And honestly, Li Taixing loved it. It made him feel powerful—like a force to be reckoned with.
'Just imagine...' Li Taixing mused, 'if I had a sword by my side, and I could control a whole array of swords... the devastation would be immense!'
Lu Tong and Sun Bohu, who had been preparing to fight, were left standing there, dumbfounded.
"Did someone help us from the shadows?" Lu Tong asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"It must be! If they had attacked us directly, we'd be in serious trouble by now," Sun Bohu replied, still in shock.
Neither could figure out who had saved them, but they were immensely grateful.
"Lu Tong! Bohu!" Li Taixing called out, finally stepping out from his hiding place.
The two turned toward the familiar voice, and when they saw Li Taixing standing there, their faces lit up with joy. They rushed over, almost tripping in their excitement.
"Boss! It's you!" Lu Tong cried out. "You're back!"
"Thank the heavens!" Sun Bohu added, his voice shaking with relief. "We thought we'd never see you again after you went to the Inner Sect."
Li Taixing smiled warmly, putting a reassuring hand on their shoulders. "You two have been through enough, but from now on, no one will dare lay a finger on you. If they do, tell me, and I'll make sure justice is served."
Inwardly, Li Taixing was already considering calling in his master if things escalated further. Even though Wang Xuanwu was lazy and unreliable in many ways, Li Taixing knew his master wouldn't abandon him.
"Boss, was that just now...?" Lu Tong started to ask.
"Yeah, it was my master helping from the shadows," Li Taixing quickly lied. He didn't want to reveal his psychokinesis abilities just yet—it would raise too many questions. So, he threw his master under the proverbial bus.
Upon hearing that it was Li Taixing's master who had come to their aid, Lu Tong and Sun Bohu nodded, finally understanding.
However, Lu Tong couldn't help but glance around, searching for any sign of the mysterious helper.
"What are you looking for?" Li Taixing asked, noticing Lu Tong's behavior.
"Your master, Boss. We need to thank her for saving us," Lu Tong replied, still scanning the surroundings.
But Li Taixing shook his head. "She's already left. She doesn't like to stick around after handling small matters like this."
"Of course, she's an Inner Sect elder. We're just a couple of Initiation disciples," Sun Bohu said with a sigh, fully believing the story.
Lu Tong also sighed, clearly impressed by the mystery of it all.
"By the way, how's your mission going?" Li Taixing asked, changing the subject.
At the mention of their task, Sun Bohu's face darkened. "Ugh, those jerks wasted so much of our time. Now we can't finish before the training starts. We'll have to wait and complete it afterward."
Lu Tong groaned. "Sometimes it feels like we're here just to do grunt work for others. If only we had the luck of our Boss, we wouldn't have to worry so much."
Hearing his friends' frustration, Li Taixing couldn't help but laugh. "Let me help you out. How much more do you have left?"
"Boss, are you serious?" Sun Bohu asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Of course. I've got some time on my hands," Li Taixing replied. After all, Wang Xuanwu hadn't given him any strict orders, and he was mostly left to his own devices these days.
"That's awesome! With your help, we'll be done in no time!" Sun Bohu cheered.
They quickly gathered the scattered firewood, and Li Taixing used his spatial storage bag to hold it all. Thanks to his assistance, Lu Tong and Sun Bohu didn't have to strain themselves carrying the logs down the mountain.
Before long, they had gathered enough firewood to complete the mission.
"Alright, all done. Let's head back," Li Taixing said.
"Yes!" they agreed.
As they made their way down the mountain, Lu Tong and Sun Bohu eagerly asked about Li Taixing's experience in the Inner Sect. When they learned that Wang Xuanwu had only one disciple and that Li Taixing was given control of an entire mountain, their jaws dropped in admiration.
"Boss, you're incredible!" they both said in awe.
Li Taixing smiled at their praise but kept quiet about the less glamorous side of his life with his lazy master.
"By the way, how are Xionghu, Qingyao, and Yueniang?" Li Taixing asked, changing the subject.
"Boss, it's only been a day since you left. Nothing much has changed, but everyone's worried we might not see you again."
"Hmph, I'm not that heartless," Li Taixing replied.
As they continued talking, Li Taixing suddenly felt the Chifeng Token on his body begin to vibrate.