Immortal Father

The Peak Master of Elixir Dust Peak, who goes by the Taoist name Yun Chenzi, was a Heavenly Immortal whose strength ranked in the middle within the Wanyun Sect;

He had a kind and amiable appearance, with white hair and a beard, a tall and stalwart figure, and enjoyed a reputation for benevolence within the Wanyun Sect.

Elixir Dust Peak was the sect's major producer of elixir pills, not only supplying for consumption within the sect but also for sale in the markets of Qi Cultivators, thus earning spirit stones and treasures for the sect.

Therefore, the comprehensive status of Elixir Dust Peak was securely ranked within the top five out of the thirty-six peaks of the sect.

Yun Chenzi usually favored alchemy over seclusion, which is why when the external affairs enforcer from the Mundane Affairs Hall arrived at Elixir Dust Peak with news of a fight between disciples of Elixir Dust Peak and those from other peaks, Yun Chenzi was quickly informed.

Due to some historical reasons, the sect rules of Wanyun Sect were strict, and the atmosphere within the sect was righteous and peaceful, with very few incidents of private fights between disciples.

Yun Chenzi initially thought the matter was not a big deal, something that could be dealt with in accordance with sect rules; Elixir Dust Peak was not unreasonable after all;

But when a True Immortal steward of Elixir Dust Peak whispered a few words in Yun Chenzi's ear, he hesitated.

"The one who conflicted with our Elixir Dust Peak's disciple is that merchant's son?"

"Indeed, Peak Master, we must handle this matter with care."

Yun Chenzi hummed thoughtfully, looking at the true fire leaping within the purple-gold furnace before him, and spoke slowly, "Li Dazhi is a disciple of our founder, not someone to be treated lightly."

There were Immortals around who said:

"But Peak Master, the founder has more than one disciple, and you are also of the same generation as that merchant. If we simply lower our status for no good reason, it would only invite mockery from the Immortals of other peaks."

"Our Elixir Dust Peak has made tremendous contributions to the sect!"

"He comes from a family of mortal merchants, after all. He's bound to be petty."

"Exactly, we cannot allow the dignity of our Elixir Dust Peak to be undermined!"

Yun Chenzi stroked his beard in contemplation, his few strands of silvery white hair fluttering in the medicinal fire emanating from the furnace mouth.

"In that case," Yun Chenzi said, "This Poor Daoist shall personally wait outside the Mundane Affairs Hall. The rest of you should wait inside for Li Dazhi to come. If the other party is aggressive and bullies Elixir Dust Peak using the founder's authority, This Poor Daoist will appear personally to ensure justice for the disciples of Elixir Dust Peak."

The Immortals bowed their heads to accept the command.

Thus, in secret one Peak Master, in the open one Heavenly Immortal, and several True Immortals, all rushed to the main peak's Mundane Affairs Hall at the same time.

Meanwhile;

Inside the Mundane Affairs Hall, over a hundred Qi Cultivators of Wanyun Sect had already gathered.

Li Ping'an and the heavily injured Spirit-Gathering Realm disciple both stood up. Though their clothes and Daoist robes were tattered, their injuries had essentially healed.

——The Immortal Pills administered to them by Elder Yansheng were designed to heal Immortal bodies, not only curing their wounds but also storing up a great amount of pure medicinal power within their bodies to be slowly absorbed as vitality.

This made Li Ping'an feel like he had struck a good deal.

Li Ping'an glanced at the disciple standing behind several of the Elixir Dust Peak's external affairs enforcers with bowed heads, feeling a bit conflicted.

He had intentionally planned ahead, injuring the disciple's throat so that the latter would not be able to speak, and his own self-inflicted meridian shock was to play the sympathy card with a ruse of self-harm.

But unfortunately...

Li Ping'an's gaze shifted towards Elder Yansheng, who sat in the wooden chair in the center of the hall, puffing away at a dry pipe.

The Elder's two Immortal Pills had smoothed out all of his clever schemes.

The development of the situation had also somewhat exceeded Li Ping'an's expectations.

A conflict between three minor Spirit-Gathering Qi Cultivation disciples had unexpectedly evolved into a face-saving issue between Elixir Dust Peak and the founder's disciple, even drawing the attention of hundreds of Immortals... this was really...

Li Ping'an's sleeve was gently tugged.

"Teacher... Big Brother?"

"Hmm?" Li Ping'an looked down and saw Ningning Mu's nervous little face.

Ningning Mu asked in a whisper, "Will there really be no problems later? I saw many Immortals outside the hall, and they all seem to have rather unpleasant expressions, with many giving us stern looks."

Li Ping'an sighed, "I've dragged you into this mess."

Ningning Mu was puzzled, "Why do you say that? Do you have enemies in the sect, Senior Brother?"

"Certainly not," Li Ping'an replied with a wry smile, "Having only practiced in the Flowing Cloud Observatory for a few months, how could I have possibly offended anyone? The matter here is somewhat complicated; I'll explain it to you later."

As they were talking, the high-ranking enforcer named Xinhuai Wang, accompanied by several Elixir Dust Peak Immortals with grey hair and indigo blue robes, hurried over.

These Immortals were slightly exuding their aura, like a few fierce tigers closing in on two small Qi Cultivation lambs.

"Ahem! Ping'an... young friend."

Xinhuai Wang's square face showed a trace of embarrassment.

As the son of a Disciple of the Sect Founder, his status was seven or eight levels higher than Xinhuai's—what should he be called?

He could only use the ambiguous term 'young friend' to get by.

Xinhuai Wang enforcer smiled and said, "These are the Immortals from Elixir Dust Peak who have come to inquire about the incident. You two need not be frightened, just speak truthfully, and those of us from Elixir Dust Peak are also quite reasonable."

Li Ping'an said, "We're just minor disciples of the Flowing Cloud Observatory, and we dare not speak rashly in front of the esteemed Immortals."

The older man in the middle spoke with a slightly mocking tone:

"There's no need for such modesty, young friend Ping'an. If it wasn't for your special identity, we would not have come here in the first place. How would you like to handle the matter with our Elixir Dust Peak disciple? Surely, a mere Spirit-Gathering Realm disciple of Elixir Dust Peak is not worth your concern, right?"

The Immortals all put on a stern face simultaneously, emitting a slight aura of Immortal might.

Li Ping'an inwardly sighed.

This was a bit of the negative impact brought about by his father taking him as a disciple of the Sect Founder.

Most likely because his father was involved, Elixir Dust Peak didn't want to lose face and thus made the first move.

However, Li Ping'an did not plan to retaliate any further.