Chapter 71: You Want to Bully Me? You're Finished!

"Li Hong's personal disciple, is he?"

Hong Xiu let out a cold scoff. "Don't tell me that boy actually intends to avenge Li Hong."

Everyone knew the truth of what had happened at Weiyang Mountain, but who would dare to speak it aloud?

The only person Hong Xiu valued was Qin Xiyan. As long as she had her, what did it matter if ten Lin Yuns left?

Shangguan Wan's expression was fraught with worry. "Ancestor, Lin Yun's actions mean he has forged a death-feud with our Flowing Cloud Sect. I'm worried about Junior Sister…"

"Her?" Seeing Hong Xiu casually dismissing the matter, Shangguan Wan was beside herself with anxiety. This situation wasn't nearly as simple as her master was making it out to be. She had seen how Qin Xiyan had treated Lin Yun.

In fact, Qin Xiyan's current seclusion had been intentionally arranged by Hong Xiu. How could Shangguan Wan not know that it was part of a deal Hong Xiu had made with Gu Xiande? What the contents of that deal were, no one knew. But it was tragically clear that Lin Yun had become an abandoned chess piece in their game.

"Xiyan?" Hong Xiu patted Shangguan Wan's shoulder. "Heh, you needn't worry. She no longer remembers those things."

Shangguan Wan stared at her master, momentarily stunned. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to say another word.

In the afternoon, Lin Yun made his way to the rear mountain beast yard.

Unlike other sects, disciples of the Beast Taming Sect had to learn how to communicate with and subdue exotic beasts. Lin Yun was no exception. However, when he arrived, he found the place was already overcrowded.

Just then, Zhou Damao also arrived and escorted Lin Yun into the yard.

Wu Boyan frowned when he saw Lin Yun being brought in. "Zhou Damao, what is the meaning of this?"

"Elder Wu, Junior Brother Lin has just joined our sect. It is only right that he comes to the beast yard to observe our beast-taming practices," Zhou Damao said with calm dignity. As the Sect Master's personal disciple, he wasn't afraid of Wu Boyan abusing his authority.

Seeing that Zhou Damao was not showing him proper deference, Wu Boyan's expression turned cold. "According to the rules of the Beast Taming Sect, anyone who joins must pass a trial. Even if the Sect Master has granted him a special exemption from the entrance trial, he cannot skip the subsequent procedures, can he? Otherwise, how will he earn the respect of the other disciples?"

As soon as Wu Boyan finished speaking, a chorus of agreement rose from the crowd.

"That's right! We are all disciples of the sect. Why should he get special treatment?"

"Exactly! We demand he be treated the same as everyone else!"

Looking at Wu Boyan's self-righteous expression, Zhou Damao just gave a simple-minded smile. "Elder Wu, Junior Brother Lin is already in the Origin Sea Realm. With his strength, he should be afforded the treatment of an inner disciple. I…"

Wu Boyan cut him off, his face twisting with anger. "Zhou Damao, are you teaching me how to do my job? So what if you're the Sect Master's personal disciple? Does that mean you can disregard us elders?"

Zhou Damao's face fell, and he didn't know how to respond.

Just then, Lin Yun stepped forward. "Senior Brother Zhou, what are these procedures?"

Zhou Damao looked at Lin Yun, his fists clenched tightly. Lin Yun knew that if he refused Wu Boyan, the old man would only find other ways to make trouble for him, and it would drag Zhou Damao into it as well.

"Senior Brother Zhou, if others can do it, then of course I can too," he said with a bright, open smile. "I don't need any special treatment."

Seeing Lin Yun's cheerful demeanor, Zhou Damao felt a pang of guilt. "Junior Brother Lin, you shouldn't have to go through this. This was supposed to be…"

Wu Boyan interrupted him again. "I don't care what the Sect Master thinks. This beast yard is my domain, and here, you follow my rules. If Lin Yun refuses, he can forget about ever setting foot in my beast yard to learn. I'd like to see how someone who can't even tame a beast can call himself a disciple of our sect!"

A number of people in the crowd immediately began to jeer in support.

To keep Zhou Damao out of trouble, Lin Yun decided to accept the terms himself.

Wu Boyan strode forward, looking down his nose at Lin Yun. "Good. You agreed to this yourself. Don't blame me for forcing you." A sly, triumphant smile spread across his face. "See over there? From today on, you will be in charge of feeding our spirit beasts. And you will also be shoveling their dung. If you fail to serve my spirit beasts well, hmph…"

Zhou Damao's expression changed. "Elder Wu, you go too far! Even if Junior Brother Lin must perform duties, it should be simple cleaning! How can you ask him to…"

"Zhou Damao!" Wu Boyan roared. "If you dare to talk back to me one more time, believe me when I say I will have you thrown into solitary confinement! If you're not satisfied, you can go argue your case with the Sect Master. I'd like to see whose side he takes then!"

Lin Yun watched Wu Boyan's smug face, a cold sneer forming in his heart. Gossip was a fearful thing. If he refused now, it would only create bigger problems within the sect. Besides, if he wanted to stay here, he did indeed need to win the respect of the masses.

Seeing that Lin Yun was actually going to do it, Zhou Damao blocked his path. "Junior Brother Lin, those spirit beasts are not easy to serve. You… how can you be subjected to this kind of suffering?"

Zhou Damao was genuinely distressed. This was work usually done by the sect's menial laborers. It was common for disciples to use their spirit beasts to prank and bully those workers. If Lin Yun went in there, given what had happened earlier, would these people really pass up such a perfect opportunity to humiliate him?

Lin Yun was touched by Zhou Damao's concern, but he just smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry, Senior Brother. I'll be fine. Otherwise, they will definitely use this against me, and the problems will only be harder to solve later."

It was just a small setback for now. Lin Yun wasn't afraid.

Zhou Damao glanced at Wu Boyan, whose face was still plastered with that same smug look. So what if he was chosen by the Chongqing Bird? So what if he has the Sect Master's favor? If he wants to establish himself in the Beast Taming Sect, he still has to play by my, Wu Boyan's, rules!

As Lin Yun entered the beast pens, Wu Boyan nearly burst out laughing with glee.

The few menial workers inside stared, dumbfounded, when they saw him enter. What was going on? Did personal disciples have to feed spirit beasts now?

Ignoring the curious gazes, Lin Yun silently began his work. To him, this was nothing. After all, just a few months ago, he had been a menial worker in the Flowing Cloud Sect, doing much the same thing.

But as he worked, he committed Wu Boyan's name to memory.

This matter was far from over.

He had never wanted to provoke this man, but Wu Boyan had made things difficult for him at every turn. If he didn't get rid of him, how could he ever hope to establish a foothold in this sect?

The moment Wu Boyan decided to target Lin Yun, he had sealed his own fate. His good days in the Beast Taming Sect were officially numbered.

Lin Yun couldn't guarantee he could eliminate everyone who bullied him.

But taking care of a single Wu Boyan? That was clearly not a problem at all.