Li Fan ignored the Daoist and walked to the lakeside with Huang Yan, where the place was already crowded.
"Is it okay to sit here?" Li Fan asked a middle-aged man, who had a little girl sitting beside him; they appeared to be father and daughter.
"Please sit if the young hero doesn't mind." The middle-aged man replied.
After sitting down, Li Fan glanced at the little girl beside him. She was thin, with dark skin, wearing simple but clean clothes, and her small hand was holding a chicken leg, with both her hand and mouth greasy.
Seeing Li Fan looking at her, the girl curiously sized him up and asked in a childish voice, "Do you want some too?"
Li Fan blinked, and the little girl glanced at the remaining chicken leg in front of her, wiped her left hand on her clothes, then picked up the leg and handed it to Li Fan.
Huang Yan looked at the little girl disdainfully, thinking no wonder no one was sitting here.
The Chen family called for the Demon Slaying Summit, yet many came to muddy the waters.
Seeing the little girl's small hand hanging in the air, Li Fan reached out to take it and said, "Thank you."
"Brother, are you here to eat something delicious too?" the girl asked quietly.
The girl's father looked embarrassedly at Li Fan and Huang Yan, cupped his hands, and said, "I'm Yang Kui, this is my daughter Qi; she's young and doesn't understand much, young hero, please don't mind."
"Li Fan." Li Fan smiled at the little girl and said, "Yes, I'm here for some good food too."
As he spoke, he bit into the chicken leg, looking at the girl, he remembered his childhood; if it weren't for being taken in by his master and senior sister back then, he wouldn't know where he'd be wandering today.
Seeing Li Fan was like her, the girl giggled and said, "Brother and sister are really good looking."
"You're cute too." Li Fan reached out to rub the girl's head, while Huang Yan ignored her.
"These chicken legs aren't that good." At this moment, an old Daoist sitting nearby interjected.
"Old sir, what do you mean by that?" Yang Kui asked.
"No worries, someone who eats her chicken leg will naturally relieve her of disasters." The old Daoist looked at Li Fan and smiled.
"Relieve disasters?" Yang Kui was puzzled, as the old Daoist had earlier mentioned they would face a disaster involving blood and injury.
"Daoist." Nearby, someone addressed the Daoist, a middle-aged man in a blue robe, who asked, "I'm Lin He, and just now the Daoist mentioned 'disaster' again. The Chen family is a renowned family in Lin'an County, and besides us martial artists, there are many Qi Cultivators in the inner courtyard. How could there be a disaster?"
The sloppy Daoist laughed and replied, "This demon turmoil in Lin'an County is not simple."
"The old Daoist is fearmongering; the Chen family is backed by the Chuzhou family, and the Chen family patriarch, Chen Yuan, is a top Grandmaster, a half-step Innate. The eldest son, Chen Luoyun, is an Innate Dharma Form Qi Cultivator, already in the Refining God Realm. Such a genius, how could they fear demons?" someone replied.
"Just a frog in a well." The Daoist smiled in response, appearing enigmatic.
"What insight do you have, Daoist?" Lin He asked.
"While the Chen family is prestigious in Lin'an County, in view of Da Li, they're insignificant. As for Chen Luoyun, he's far from a true genius." The sloppy Daoist talked confidently.
"You old Daoist, what arrogance."
"Leaving the Chen family aside, Chen Luoyun possesses the Innate Dharma Form, making him a genius wherever he goes." The surrounding people refuted and turned their attention to the sloppy Daoist.
Huang Yan looked at the old Daoist with a mocking gaze and said, "Smelly Daoist, do you understand cultivation?"
"Why wouldn't I?" The sloppy Daoist said, "In this world, there are humans, demons, ghosts, and gods, each with their own path of cultivation. Among them, human cultivators are the strongest. Some borrow the power of the sun, moon, and stars; some borrow the power of mountains, rivers, and lakes. Confucian cultivators read books and observe the world; Buddhist cultivators borrow the power of the wishes of all beings to cultivate; and there are Sword Dao prodigies who plant sword seeds. The world is vast."
"The smelly Daoist has some knowledge, no wonder he can deceive people outside." Huang Yan responded indifferently; she knew these things, but they were far from her. Ordinary Qi Cultivators mostly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or use treasures to cultivate.
In Lin'an County, Chen Luoyun of the Chen family and Li Hongyi of the Li family are undoubtedly genius figures.
"While the Daoist's words make sense, they're too distant for us." Lin He said beside them.
"Not far, not far." The Daoist smiled and said, "This time, the demon turmoil is rumored to be related to Li Mountain, and you all might get a chance to see it."
People around started discussing it; they too had heard these rumors.
"Li Mountain?" Li Fan heard the discussion around him and was thoughtful.
Why is the demon turmoil related to Li Mountain?
The senior sister sent him out to slay demons without mentioning it at all; could she have some other intentions behind this?
"You don't know Li Mountain?" Huang Yan looked at Li Fan.
"I know a little." Li Fan replied.
Huang Yan looked a bit disappointed; although Li Fan was a martial artist, he didn't even know about Li Mountain, showing he had limited knowledge.
The surrounding crowd chatted again, not picking up the old Daoist's topic. Li Mountain was too distant for them. Most here were martial artists without the talent for Qi Cultivation. They came to the Chen family either for a meal or hoping to stay. If they got lucky, they might receive resources for cultivation, and there was a chance to become a Grandmaster in the future.
"Papa, I want to cultivate too." At the stone table, the girl looked at her father, Yang Kui, innocently.
Yang Kui's expression was somewhat embarrassed; not to mention whether the girl had the talent for cultivation, even if she did, with his status, he couldn't afford the resources needed for her cultivation.
"Oh? Why do you want to cultivate?" The old Daoist asked the girl.
"That way, Papa won't have to work so hard." The girl said innocently.
Yang Kui hugged the girl, his eyes a bit red.
Huang Yan coldly snorted; a village girl wanting to cultivate?
She glanced at Li Fan beside her, finding it somewhat dull. Although he had a good appearance, he was still just a martial artist.
Birds of a feather flock together.
"Everyone." Just then, a figure approached from not far away; it was a group of people leading towards them, the one at the front wearing luxurious purple attire, handsome and extraordinary—it was the Second Son of the Chen family, Chen Li.
Behind him followed a group of youths, each with extraordinary aura, all Qi Cultivators.
"Second Young Master." People here stood up to greet them.
"The Chen family called for the Demon Slaying Summit, and you all came from afar. Please forgive us for any lack of hospitality. If you have any requests, just ask the steward. Nowadays, Lin'an County is plagued by demons, and many incidents have occurred outside. Please avoid going out alone at night." Chen Li said to the crowd with cupped hands.
"Thank you, Second Young Master, for the reminder."
"Second Young Master, have you discovered any traces of demons? We can't wait." Everyone moved closer, wanting to show their abilities.
"There are some clues. If confirmed, you will be informed immediately to slay the demons together." Chen Li said.
Li Fan sat quietly, while Yang Kui glanced over there, seeing the crowd surge, and feeling a bit disappointed. The sloppy old Daoist shook his head and said, "The world is bustling, all for profit. Noble families are not so easy to cling to."
"That statement shows some insight." Huang Yan said, then stood up and walked over there. She greeted Chen Li with cupped hands and a sweet smile, "Huang Yan from Shangxuan Sect, here to attend the Demon Slaying Summit, greeting Mr. Chen."
"I've heard of Shangxuan Sect. Miss Huang, you should have informed the steward beforehand. Please follow me to the inner courtyard, and I'll arrange accommodations for you." Chen Li said.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Huang Yan said happily, then walked to Chen Li's side and glanced once at Li Fan. Seeing him with his back to her, she thought he was probably young and arrogant, not knowing to seize opportunities.
However, it was just out of idle boredom.
Though Li Fan had an extraordinary appearance, being young and narrow-minded, it might be fun to tease him, but they ultimately didn't belong to the same world.
The Chen family took Huang Yan away, and the crowd then realized Huang Yan was a Qi Cultivator.
Many people looked at Li Fan with sympathy and even whispered. Even the old Daoist and Yang Kui beside him gave him a strange look.
???
Seeing Li Fan look up, the old Daoist gave an ambiguous smile, and Yang Kui lowered his head to relieve the awkwardness.
This made Li Fan a bit depressed, and he said softly, "If I said she was the one following me, would you believe it?"
"I believe you." Yang Kui looked at Li Fan and nodded, "Brother Xiao Fan is definitely not someone who clings to others, but Miss Huang seems... a bit snobbish."
"I'm clinging to her??"
"Brother Xiao Fan, that's not what I meant." Yang Kui hurried to explain, "I'm saying Brother Xiao Fan isn't someone who flatters the rich and powerful... No, that's not right..."
Yang Kui stammered, not knowing how to clarify his words.
Seeing his anxious look, Li Fan laughed and shook his head, not bothering to say more, "Brother Yang, no need to explain."
Yang Kui was stunned, looked at Li Fan, and said, "I am of humble birth. Brother Xiao Fan calling me Brother Yang is already beyond my status."
"Brother Yang, did you also come to the Chen family to slay demons?" Li Fan asked.
Yang Kui shook his head, "My cultivation is only at the first level of Body Refinement, still at the skin and flesh level, I can't slay demons. I shamelessly came to the Chen family to find a bite to eat, hoping to secure a place for Ah Qi if I'm lucky."
Saying this, he glanced at the girl, who was also leaning against him, looking at her father with eyes full of love.
The old Daoist heard Yang Kui's words, got up, shook his head, and sighed, "Poor people."
That meal wasn't so easy to eat. He stood up and left directly.