The uncle and aunt had never witnessed such a scene in their entire lives. With those crossbows pointed at them, they felt as if an arrow could shoot into their faces at any moment. At this point, they were so terrified that they had lost their wits, not daring to utter a word, only able to look helplessly at their own son. They thought of the ocean of silver spent every year to support this son in learning the skills of a qi refiner—surely, now, he wouldn’t be afraid of these people...

As for Samuel Grant, his chubby face quivered as he stared wide-eyed at those sharp crossbow tips.

The cold gleam flashed, and there was even a hint of blue light—were they poisoned?

Even though he had some tricks up his sleeve, if those crossbows were suddenly fired all at once...

...

...

“You... you... you dare...”

He had to muster his courage countless times before he finally managed to squeeze out a shaky, emboldening sentence.

Even the inner hall had fallen completely silent at this moment. All the shopkeepers and young masters watched in utter fear, not daring to make a sound. Yet in their hearts, they were truly shocked—everyone had heard of the means of qi refiners, but who had ever seen someone actually dare to have fierce servants point crossbows at a qi refiner in the middle of the hall? This was truly unheard of...

Besides, would Second Young Master Fang really dare to let these fierce crossbows be fired?

After all, Samuel Grant was still a student at the academy, and now that your elder brother is dead, if you harm him...

“Cun... Cun’er, don’t be rash...”

Even Old Master Fang began to plead in a trembling voice, “Mortal means cannot harm a qi refiner...”

“Really?”

Carter Foster tilted his head slightly and smiled, “I don’t believe it!”

Everyone in the hall was stunned. Just then, Carter Foster suddenly shouted, “Little Lily!”

“Here I am!”

A skinny, monkey-like youth darted into the hall, his face full of mischief.

With a blank expression, Carter Foster said, “Slap him!”

Little Lily grinned, “Alright!”

Just as everyone was feeling bewildered, Little Lily suddenly leapt forward and landed a slap right across Samuel Grant’s face.

With a loud “smack,” the sound was crisp and clear.

The cousin was stunned on the spot by the slap, a clear handprint appearing on his face.

Whether it was the uncle, the aunt, or all the shopkeepers in the hall, they were all frozen in shock. This little servant was far too bold—he was clearly just an ordinary person, where did he get the courage to actually slap a young qi refiner in the face?

If that young master were to get angry...

But after Little Lily slapped Samuel Grant once, he turned to look at Carter Foster. Seeing that the second young master was calmly drinking tea and hadn’t told him to stop, he grinned again, and landed another slap, then another. When Samuel Grant instinctively raised his head to dodge, Little Lily simply jumped up and slapped him again, left and right, crackling like a monkey.

“Don’t hit my son...”

In the end, the aunt couldn’t bear it any longer. Wailing loudly, she rushed forward and hugged her son, shielding him.

Only then did Little Lily stop, rubbing his own hand and muttering, “A qi refiner is still a qi refiner—my hand hurts!”

The hall was silent. All the shopkeepers and young masters stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the scene before them. That was a dignified academy student, a young qi refiner studying the arts, a figure of high status in all of Liuhu City. Yet you let a servant slap him in public, and no one cared about whether the servant’s hand hurt—everyone only worried that if this qi refiner got angry, lives would be at stake...

Under the countless interwoven gazes, cousin Samuel Grant’s chubby face trembled uncontrollably. Both his cheeks were swollen and covered in bloody marks. Anyone could see the barely suppressed, raging fury in his eyes. Huge beads of sweat rolled down his face, as if a volcano was building up inside him, ready to erupt, as he glared fiercely at the arms-crossed Little Lily before him...

But Little Lily just looked at him with a cheeky grin, as if he wasn’t afraid at all.

The crossbows around were held perfectly straight. Under the candlelight, the blue glints were almost touching their faces.

Finally, the cousin couldn’t hold it in any longer. His rage completely shattered his reason!

And so...

Suddenly, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

The signature move of Grant Family Eldest Young Master: if words fail, he’ll start a fight.

If he can’t win, he’ll fall to the ground and fake a seizure.

Chapter 9: The Plague God Arrives

Ordinary people who don’t understand the ways of cultivators truly find it hard to comprehend their abilities.

In fact, even a minor qi refiner, a student of the academy, is not someone ordinary people can deal with.

Take the Great Xia Dynasty, for example: it spans north and south, covers a vast territory, and has countless people. Yet those who can cultivate are only a tiny fraction. In Liuhu City alone—south, west, north, plus the refugees living outside the city walls and reclaiming wasteland—the population is probably close to a million, but those who can cultivate are only the three hundred or so recruited by the Baixiang Academy every three years...

It can be said that everyone who enters Baixiang Academy is the best of the best.

It’s not that others can’t cultivate, but even if they do, without enough wealth, they simply can’t afford it.