Chapter 28: Too Stingy

I’m making another push for the rankings early tomorrow morning. Friends who are online then, please lend me your support!

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Faced with Li Yuntian’s question, Yang Kai did not reply.

Li Yuntian assumed he had guessed right and smiled. "Don’t worry, Senior. Our strength should be about the same, so it’s not certain who will win or lose. If I do manage to win by some fluke, I’ll compensate you for your losses."

"Is that true?" Yang Kai was somewhat surprised.

"A promise made is a promise kept!" Li Yuntian agreed in a deep voice.

Li Yuntian thought he had already successfully hoodwinked Yang Kai and was getting ready to flex his muscles. He knew Su Mu was definitely hiding nearby, secretly watching. As long as he could ruthlessly teach Yang Kai a lesson and vent some frustration on behalf of Young Master Su, he would gain a tremendous amount of face.

Unexpectedly, Yang Kai frowned again. Li Yuntian almost jumped up and cursed out loud. He thought, "This senior is so fucking long-winded and annoying, acting like an old hen. How could Zhao Hu have lost to someone like this?"

"Senior, is there another problem?" Li Yuntian felt like he was on the verge of exploding.

"Well, although I’d also like to spar with you, I was already challenged by someone yesterday. If we’re going to fight, we’ll have to wait a few days."

"What a pig!" Li Yuntian almost choked on his own breath. He hastily said, "Senior, you can challenge me! I haven’t been challenged yet these past few days. Don’t we Lingxiao Pavilion Disciples have one chance to challenge someone every day?"

"So that’s how it is!" Yang Kai said, suddenly realizing. He gave a dry laugh. "Don’t blame me, Junior. I haven’t challenged anyone in years, so I’ve completely forgotten that rule."

Li Yuntian slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel all the anger and frustration from his heart. After a long moment, he asked, "Senior, can we spar now?"

But Yang Kai had another question. "Junior, if I lose, will you really compensate me with Contribution Points?"

"I will! I’ll absolutely compensate you, and I’ll pay you ten times the amount!" Li Yuntian gritted his teeth.

Yang Kai shook his head. "I don’t believe you. Not unless you give me the Contribution Points first."

"How am I supposed to give them to you?" Li Yuntian was incredibly frustrated. Contribution Points were all recorded at the accounting office; they couldn’t be carried around for trade. He thought, "This senior is far too petty. Does he really think I would default on a debt like this?"

"I have an idea, actually." Yang Kai gave a sly smile and beckoned to Li Yuntian, then whispered a few words into his ear.

Li Yuntian’s expression shifted several times. He had to admit that Yang Kai’s mind was truly sharp to come up with such a method.

"If it’s too much trouble for you, Junior, then forget it. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just..." Playing hard to get, Yang Kai feigned a retreat, trailing off mid-sentence.

Li Yuntian knew exactly what he meant. Although he felt contempt in his heart, he could only endure it for the sake of his plan. "It’s fine," he said. "Wait here, Senior. I’ll go fetch the items and come right back. Keep waiting, I’ll be quick."

With that, he hurriedly ran off.

Watching his retreating figure, Yang Kai was filled with emotion. In this day and age, there were actually people who would show up at his door begging to be beaten. And if begging didn’t work, they would even offer gifts. It was truly bizarre. But this was fine, too, as it solved his pressing need. It was just a pity that this method could only be used once; he wouldn’t be able to pull it off a second time.

For a moment, Yang Kai felt a bit of regret, thinking that he should have asked for the moon and bled him dry. Given Li Yuntian’s urgency, he probably would have agreed even if Yang Kai’s demands had been far more excessive.

Not far away, Su Mu and a group of followers were hiding. Seeing Li Yuntian and Yang Kai strike up a conversation, they had been secretly delighted, keeping their eyes peeled for a good show. But unexpectedly, Li Yuntian rushed off just a moment later. This scene left Su Mu completely bewildered.

He thought, "This wasn’t part of the plan we discussed last night! What the hell is Li Yuntian doing?"

Filled with doubt, Su Mu hurriedly sent someone to intercept Li Yuntian and ask about the situation.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, the person he dispatched finally returned. He whispered to Su Mu, "Young Master Su, Li Yuntian says that Yang Kai is being incredibly petty. He insisted that Li Yuntian first go to the Contribution Hall and exchange for ten herbs to compensate for his post-defeat losses before he would agree to spar."

"Isn’t that way too stingy?" Su Mu was dumbfounded. "Yang Kai is just a Trial Disciple. Even if he’s defeated, he’ll only lose a single Contribution Point. Why does he need ten herbs in compensation?"

The subordinate replied, "Li Yuntian boasted that he would pay ten times the compensation, so..."

"Hmph, serves him right." Su Mu had a strange expression on his face. "Whatever. As long as we can teach Yang Kai a lesson, ten herbs are nothing."

Ten herbs were probably only worth ten Contribution Points, an amount that Su Mu truly didn’t care about. Now that the group understood the situation, they could only hold their ground and wait bitterly.

Half an hour later, Yang Kai had nearly finished sweeping the grounds when Li Yuntian finally ran back, his face covered in sweat. It wasn’t that this place was too far from the Contribution Hall, but rather that Elder Meng was still sleeping. It had taken Li Yuntian half the day of knocking just to wake him up.

Having his sweet dreams interrupted, Elder Meng naturally had a terrible temper. Before Li Yuntian even had a chance to teach Yang Kai a lesson, he had been fleeced by Elder Meng. He had to spend a full twenty Contribution Points just to exchange for ten Mortal-Level Lower Grade herbs.

Li Yuntian was furious. He secretly swore that he would definitely extract the interest from Yang Kai later.

When he arrived at the agreed-upon location, Yang Kai hadn’t left, just as expected. He was standing there, holding his broom.

Taking two steps at a time, Li Yuntian ran up to him panting and shoved the ten herbs into his hand. "Here," he said grumpily. "Count them, Senior."

"Haha, there’s no need." Yang Kai appeared very generous. He simply took them and, without even looking, placed both the broom and the herbs on the ground.

"Senior, can we spar now?" Li Yuntian asked.

"We can, we can. Actually, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble, Junior. I would have taken you at your word," Yang Kai chuckled cheerfully.

Li Yuntian was so infuriated his soul nearly left his body to enter Nirvana. He thought, "You were the one who demanded the herbs first, and now you’re the one saying you trust me! You’ve said all the good and bad things yourself. I’ve been busy all morning and haven’t even eaten yet. Did I just run all those errands for nothing?"

But whatever. Li Yuntian took a few deep breaths and steadied his Heart Spirit. Now that half his goal had been achieved, as long as Yang Kai dared to challenge him, he definitely wouldn’t show any mercy.

"Then, shall we begin, Junior?" Yang Kai asked for Li Yuntian’s opinion.

"Alright." Li Yuntian’s spirits rose greatly. He immediately cupped his fists and said, "Please enlighten me, Senior!"

"I wouldn’t dare!" Yang Kai wore a smile on his face.

Neither of them reported their current Realm to the other. Li Yuntian was afraid of scaring Yang Kai away, and Yang Kai was happy to oblige. Under this tacit understanding, the challenge began.

With Zhao Hu’s example from yesterday as a warning, and his own pent-up grievances from today, how could Li Yuntian hold back? He prepared to take down this senior with Lei Ting Momentum.

With a lightning-fast clash and a deep, resonant shout, Yang Kai and Li Yuntian engaged each other in a flurry of dodges and leaps. Holding in a surge of anger, Li Yuntian didn’t hold back his strength in the slightest. Using his true skills, his palms flew up and down, each strike faster and heavier than the last.

Yang Kai was unhurried. The muscles on his lean body tensed up, displaying the results of his Cultivation over the past few days. He countered the attacks using only the Lingxiao Pavilion’s Basic Long Fist and whip kicks.

As their fists and palms crossed, Li Yuntian was startled. A massive force surged from his opponent, shaking his footing and forcing him to stumble backward a few steps, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP. Not only that, but it felt as if his palm had just struck a solid rock, the rebound leaving his hand bones slightly numb.