Tang Yuanwei's cultivation was only at the mid-stage of the Qi Refining level.
Because his talent and strength were lacking, he was assigned business duties to gather resources for his family. Unfortunately for him, he encountered Lü Shaoqing, which meant he was in for a rough time.
The gap between him and Lü Shaoqing was enormous.
Lü Shaoqing effortlessly took control.
"Let's see what goodies you've got."
Lü Shaoqing happily began looting.
First and foremost was, of course, the storage ring. Erasing the mark on it, he sent his spiritual sense inside, and his body trembled with delight.
"Jackpot!"
Inside the ring was a huge pile of spirit stones. A quick scan revealed the total.
"17,601 low-grade spirit stones."
"I'm rich! I'm rich!"
Lü Shaoqing's eyes glowed in the darkness.
The storage ring contained nothing else—just the pile of spirit stones. Although he found it odd, he didn't dwell on it.
The spirit stones were his now.
After a thorough search revealed nothing valuable beyond the pile of spirit stones, Lü Shaoqing left with satisfaction, leaving Tang Yuanwei lying on the ground in just his undergarments.
"This trip was worth it. Not only did I avenge my junior sister, but I also made a fortune."
"Totally worth it."
Lü Shaoqing was pleased. He felt no guilt about robbing Tang Yuanwei.
Not only had Tang Yuanwei tried to take advantage of Xiao Yi, but when informed that she was an ordinary person, he still rushed over without hesitation, proving he wasn't a good person.
Dealing with such scum was justified, Lü Shaoqing thought.
With over 10,000 spirit stones, it more than made up for the 3,000 he had lost earlier.
Grinning ear to ear, he pulled out his little notebook. "Let's move on to the next target."
The next day, Lü Shaoqing finally returned to Tianyu Peak, feeling content.
"Last night was so profitable, heh heh."
"Where have you been, you little brat?!"
As soon as he returned, Lü Shaoqing was caught by Shao Cheng and given a lecture.
"You sent your junior sister into the Sword Cave, and you didn't even keep an eye on her?"
"What if something happened?"
Lü Shaoqing shrugged. "Master, why are you so worried?"
"You think I'm like Senior Brother? His shoddy work can't compare to mine."
Shao Cheng was exasperated. "No matter how confident you are, you still need to be careful."
"How many times have I told you? You must be cautious and never arrogant."
Lü Shaoqing replied, "Tell that to Senior Brother. His tail's so high these days, it's practically touching the sky."
Shao Cheng countered, "I never have to worry about your senior brother. He worries about me more than the other way around."
"All right, all right." Lü Shaoqing, in a good mood, didn't argue. "Senior Brother is almost surpassing you. And you still have the time to lecture me?"
Seeing Lü Shaoqing's behavior, Shao Cheng grew suspicious.
"Something's off. You're acting strange."
He scrutinized Lü Shaoqing closely. "What did you do last night?"
"What mischief did you get into?"
Lü Shaoqing pretended to be hurt. "Master, how can you think so poorly of your dear disciple?"
"Can't you think positively about me for once?"
Shao Cheng replied, "No, I know exactly what kind of person you are."
"You're usually so lazy you wouldn't move even if struck by lightning."
"But last night, you went down the mountain. You must've done something."
Shao Cheng knew his disciple well.
Usually, when Shao Cheng scolded him, Lü Shaoqing would always talk back and change the subject. But today, Lü Shaoqing didn't retaliate, which made him suspect that Lü Shaoqing had indeed been up to something.
Lü Shaoqing grinned. "Master, you always say you don't care what I do. So why do you care now?"
Shao Cheng sighed. "I couldn't care less if you got into trouble. Just don't drag a huge mess onto yourself."
Lü Shaoqing laughed. "Master, you say you know me well, so you should know I'm not the kind to cause trouble. Trust me."
Shao Cheng thought about it and agreed—his disciple hated trouble. Anything Lü Shaoqing did, he'd always clean up thoroughly to avoid complications.
Shao Cheng nodded. "That's for the best."
As for whatever his disciple had done, Shao Cheng didn't ask further.
No matter what Lü Shaoqing did, even if it involved serious offenses, Shao Cheng wouldn't intervene. His disciple always had his reasons and never acted without cause.
"I'm going to cultivate. You stay here and keep an eye out; make sure your junior sister doesn't run into any danger."
Lü Shaoqing replied, "Okay, okay, no problem."
Just as Shao Cheng was about to turn away, Lü Shaoqing asked, "By the way, Master, do you have any more Tianji Tokens?"
His previous one had been destroyed, and even the one he had swiped from Shao Cheng was gone. He hadn't had time to buy a new one.
Hearing this, Shao Cheng's face darkened as his anger flared.
"You little brat, I'm going to kill you!"
With a wave of his hand, Lü Shaoqing found himself immobilized.
Seeing Shao Cheng's furious expression, Lü Shaoqing realized his mistake.
This Tianji Token was a gift from Shao Cheng's old flame in his dreams. Using it was one thing, but he had ended up destroying it.
"Master, what are you doing?"
"Master, let's talk about this calmly. It's just a token, right?"
"Let's talk it out."
Shao Cheng sneered. "When was the last time I disciplined you?"
"I've let you run wild for too long. It's time for a good lesson."
"Master, please don't—" Lü Shaoqing pleaded, "Master, it wasn't me who broke it; it was Senior Brother!"
"You saw it yourself. It was him."
Shao Cheng scoffed. "All I saw was you throwing it out as a shield."
Lü Shaoqing argued, "You were watching and didn't step in. How's that my fault?"
"Oh, really?"
Shao Cheng reached out, pulling Lü Shaoqing like a puppet until he was right in front of him.
Seeing Shao Cheng holding a stick, Lü Shaoqing cried out, "Can you please not spank me?"
"I'm an adult now. Isn't this a bit much?"
"Master, I'm sorry. I'll get you a new one, okay?"
"If I don't give you a good thrashing today, I won't be able to get over this anger."