Chapter 9：Little witch

In the grand hall of Tai Fu Sect, the middle-aged sect leader, who had previously appeared dignified and solemn, now wore a mischievous grin, chatting with his old trickster junior brother. Where was the majesty befitting a supreme leader of the sect in his words? 

Observing him, the elder Daoist chuckled, saying, "Senior Brother, mind your image; you are the supreme leader of Tai Fu Sect!" 

Yet the middle-aged leader shrugged dismissively, waving his sleeve. "Oh, come now, Junior Brother, you know my temperament. What does it matter? We are all human; why bother with such pretenses? To live is to drink heartily and feast generously." 

This Tai Fu Sect leader was undeniably talented. If anyone witnessed such behavior from the sect's head, they would likely slap themselves in disbelief, wondering if they were hallucinating. 

Indeed, as the saying goes, like master, like disciple; this Tai Fu Sect leader was as outrageous as Li Yunyang's master. 

... 

Upon leaving the Tai Fu Sect's grand hall, Tian Fan wore a frown. He was decidedly displeased, and when he returned to his lodgings, he found Li Yunyang hiding inside, wide-eyed and cautiously peering outside. 

As soon as he saw Tian Fan return, Li Yunyang pulled him inside and quickly closed the door, leaving Tian Fan utterly bewildered. 

"What are you doing?" Tian Fan asked, perplexed by this odd behavior. 

"Brother, you just came back from Tai Fu Sect, right? Did you notice anything strange or see any peculiar people?" Li Yunyang questioned, keeping a vigilant eye on the door. 

"Nothing out of the ordinary, but I did hear someone mention that the 'Little Witch' is back. What's that about?" 

Recalling the earlier scene, Tian Fan remembered someone saying this, their expression unnaturally tense, as if they were somewhat frightened, which struck him as odd. 

Upon hearing Tian Fan's words, Li Yunyang turned pale, as if something terrifying had occurred. 

"What's wrong with you?" Tian Fan asked, confused about what could have so frightened this man. 

Li Yunyang's face fell as he lamented, "Brother, you don't understand! That 'Little Witch' they speak of is the sole granddaughter of the current sect leader. He dotes on her excessively, and we've suffered plenty at her hands!" 

Tian Fan was taken aback by this revelation. "You can't be serious!?" 

He couldn't fathom Li Yunyang, who didn't seem the type to be easily bullied, could be tormented by anyone, let alone a girl. 

"Brother, you have to believe me. You—" Just then, a clear voice, reminiscent of a cuckoo's call, rang out from outside: "Li Yunyang, come out here!" 

At that moment, Li Yunyang recoiled as if he had seen a cat, and Tian Fan, witnessing his reaction, felt a mix of surprise and amusement. This was a guy who dared to confront his sly master at the peak of Yun Tian, yet here he was, quaking at the mere sound of a girl's voice, like a thief caught in the act. 

Under Tian Fan's curious gaze, Li Yunyang jumped onto the wooden bed, winked at him, and sat cross-legged. 

"Hey? Who are you?" 

Just then, a girl clad in a yellow silk robe rushed in. She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, slightly younger than Tian Fan. While not breathtakingly beautiful, she was nonetheless striking. Upon entering, she noticed Tian Fan standing in the room, someone she hadn't seen before among the Tai Fu Sect disciples, and inquired. 

"Um, I'm just...new here." After a long pause, Tian Fan stumbled through his response, reluctant to admit he was the old trickster's disciple. 

"New here, Li Yunyang's junior?" the girl deduced from his answer. 

"Not exactly, I mean—" Before he could explain, he was cut off as she spotted Li Yunyang sitting cross-legged on the bed. 

"Li Yunyang, stop pretending and get up!" 

"Ha ha! Little Junior Sister, you're back!" Li Yunyang exclaimed, instantly standing beside the girl, grinning sheepishly. 

"Have you been slacking off instead of training?" the girl asked, hands on her hips, glaring at Li Yunyang. 

"Heh heh, how could I? Under your leadership, who would dare to neglect their training? I, Li Yunyang, would be the first to make them pay!" he declared with mock solemnity, which only made Tian Fan think, "What a rascal!" 

"You must know, soon our Tai Fu Sect will face off against the Boxing Emperor Sect, the Flying Sword Sect, and the Yin Yang Sect in a competition for the youth. We must train diligently and not embarrass ourselves again," she instructed. 

It turned out they were in a region in the north of the Divine Martial Continent, home to four sects: Tai Fu Sect, Boxing Emperor Sect, Flying Sword Sect, and Yin Yang Sect. Every two years, these four sects held a competition among their young disciples, ostensibly for skill exchange, but in reality, it was a display of each sect's strength. 

In past competitions, Tai Fu Sect had consistently ranked last among the four sects. While the sect leader had taken it in stride, his granddaughter was determined not to let that happen again. She insisted that they should never finish last in the next contest. 

In a bid to placate her relentless coaxing, the sect leader had ceded supervisory authority to her, granting her full control over the disciples' training. Anyone who dared to slack off would face her "minor" repercussions. Over time, this earned her the nickname "Little Witch." Tian Fan couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her, as she had become the notorious "Little Witch" that made everyone tremble. 

"Come on, let's head to the training ground..." the girl said to Li Yunyang and Tian Fan, leading the way as the two had no choice but to follow. 

As they walked, Tian Fan noticed the streets were devoid of sunbathers. Upon reaching the so-called training ground, they found the room packed with disciples clad in green, diligently practicing. 

"Wow..." 

Tian Fan had to admit the girl in yellow had a remarkable influence; just the news of her return transformed the previously lazy disciples into diligent workers in an instant. 

Look at that disciple in the east, throwing powerful punches at a wooden dummy. He was so absorbed in his training that he didn't even flinch when blood appeared on his fingers. However, when Tian Fan focused his vision on him, he thought, "What on earth? That blood looks just like tomato juice!?" 

He mumbled in disbelief, nearly gasping aloud; this guy was ruthless! But as he turned his gaze elsewhere, he was almost ready to spit out his meal—someone was practicing to the point of "spitting blood." 

"Everyone is working hard; Yun Junior Brother, you should take a break; your hands are bleeding," the girl said to the disciple whose hands looked like they had been smeared with tomato juice. 

"I'm fine, Senior Sister! I want to continue training for the glory of Tai Fu Sect!" he replied, sporting a look of "exhaustion" yet speaking fervently, his eyes shining with determination. Tian Fan was speechless; if one didn't know better, they would think this guy was incredibly earnest and dedicated. 

"Ah, Liu Senior Brother, while hard work is essential, don't overdo it; it can lead to a devilish path. Someone, help Liu Senior Brother to rest," the girl quickly commanded. 

As soon as she finished speaking, two disciples rushed over to assist Liu Senior Brother, who walked away with a disgruntled expression, making Tian Fan break into a sweat. This granddaughter of the sect leader was genuinely naive. 

"Alright, I see everyone's hard work; I will report to the sect leader right away. I promise you, the meals during this period will be greatly enhanced! We want you all to have ample strength for training, so you can hold your heads high in the upcoming competition among the four sects," she declared, prompting Li Yunyang to call on the other disciples to continue training as she left. It was easy to guess she was off to report the disciples' diligence to the sect leader. 

Once this overseer was gone, the disciples breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted. 

"Phew, Little Junior Sister is finally gone." 

"Right? This kind of training is exhausting." 

"Those sects are so strong; how could we possibly win?" 

"Now that the Little Junior Sister is gone, let's rest; each to their own." 

As everyone prepared to leave, Li Yunyang suddenly stepped forward, blocking the way with a serious expression. "Nobody is allowed to leave!" 

His words stunned not only the disciples training in the room but also left Tian Fan momentarily speechless. After spending a few days with him, he knew this guy was lazy and slippery; what could have prompted such seriousness now? What was he up to?