Seeking Help from a Small Village

Tianfan watched Li Yunyang with puzzlement. At this moment, Li Yunyang's expression was serious, a stark contrast to his usual roguish demeanor. Tianfan couldn't fathom what the normally mischievous man intended by stopping everyone.

"What's the matter, Brother Li? Is something wrong?" one of the disciples asked. Li Yunyang held significant respect among them.

"Brothers, please stop and listen to me for a moment!" Li Yunyang paused, then spoke solemnly, "I don't know how each of you came to be here, but since we are all here, living together, this place has become our home. As members of this home, it's our duty to uphold its dignity!"

The disciples listened quietly, without interrupting.

"Think about it. Our Sect Master of Tai Fu Gate has never demanded anything from us, but that doesn't mean we can be lazy and slack in our cultivation. Our junior sister is younger than most of us here, yet her cultivation is higher than all of us. Soon, we'll be participating in the biennial Four Gates Martial Competition. Are we going to finish last again and be the laughingstock of others?"

"Our junior sister has put in so much effort for Tai Fu Gate. As men, are we going to let ourselves be outdone by a woman? Tai Fu Gate isn't just junior sister's or the Sect Master's – it belongs to all of us; it's our home. We can't leave the task of defending our home's honor solely to our junior sister. We are all part of this home, so we must all contribute to its defense!"

After hearing his words, not only the disciples but even Tianfan were stunned. He had never expected such words from Li Yunyang. The entire practice field fell silent until someone finally spoke up, "Brother Li is right. Tai Fu Gate is ours; it is our home."

"Yes, this is our home!"

"We must defend the honor of our home!"

"We can't leave all the responsibility to our junior sister!"

"We must practice diligently and show everyone the strength of Tai Fu Gate!"

With each resounding declaration, everyone grew more excited, ready to commit wholeheartedly to training.

"Alright, from now on, let's train hard. We still have some time before the Four Gates Martial Competition. Let's aim for breakthroughs during this period and raise the prestige of Tai Fu Gate!" Li Yunyang shouted, inspired by everyone's enthusiasm.

"Hard training to raise the prestige of Tai Fu Gate!"

With renewed zeal, all the disciples immersed themselves in intensive training. Yun, one of the disciples, wiped off the tomato juice on his hand and threw a fierce punch at a wooden dummy, causing a loud thud. Another disciple, Liu, wiped away the fake blood at the corner of his mouth and sat down to meditate. Soon, every disciple was engrossed in rigorous training.

Tianfan, too, was influenced by the atmosphere and began to practice quietly. Just then, the yellow-dressed girl returned unexpectedly. She was surprised to see the intense training atmosphere, which felt quite different from before.

Without pondering too much, she pulled Li Yunyang aside and said, "Brother Li, something has happened."

Li Yunyang and Tianfan, who were in the midst of cultivation, stood up when they heard her. Li Yunyang asked, "What's wrong, junior sister? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"There's trouble in a small village at the foot of our mountain. Several people have died, and some villagers have come to seek help."

"What? Such a thing has happened?"

Indeed, there was a small village under Tai Fu Gate with nearly a hundred households, living mostly on farming. The villagers, known for their simplicity, often brought vegetables and other produce to Tai Fu Gate. Hearing such news, Li Yunyang was understandably concerned.

"Yes, grandfather has already instructed me to take a few people to have a look."

Upon learning about the incident, the Sect Master of Tai Fu Gate first comforted the elderly villager who came for help and then immediately ordered his granddaughter to take a few people with her to the village to investigate, considering it a minor trial. So, she hurriedly came to summon Li Yunyang.

"Alright, let's go now. And, Brother Tianfan, you should come too."

After informing everyone to continue their diligent practice, Li Yunyang called Tianfan to join them. The trio then proceeded to the path leading down from Tai Fu Gate, where an elderly man was already waiting. Upon seeing the three, he quickly approached them.