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Li Guanqi pushed through the crowd and spotted several towering youths stepping on Li Shengan beneath their feet.
This furrowed the brows of Guanqi, who was clueless about the situation.
In his mind, Li Shengan was a rather shrewd person.
Compared to others, he seemed more like a 'hopeless good guy'.
The reason for considering him shrewd stemmed from their first encounter, which left a strong impression on Guanqi.
Perhaps Lin Dong didn't understand why Li Shengan would approach them, but Guanqi knew all too well.
Had their Spirit Talismans not been burning so sparingly at that time, Li Shengan likely wouldn't have approached them with goodwill.
Li Shengan lay on the ground, his mouth bloody, as the muscular youth firmly stepped on his chest.
Waving a jade token mockingly, he said, "Shouldn't you have offered me such an easy mission first? Huh?"
"How can you be so forgetful?"
Li Shengan, lying on the ground, didn't show much anger despite the odd looks from the crowd.
With a bloodied face, he managed a smile and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Wang, I didn't realize you wanted to take on a mission these past few days."
"If I had known, I would have certainly snatched this mission for you, sparing you the trouble of getting involved."
The youth known as Brother Wang lifted his foot and laughed heartily, bending down to pat Li Shengan's face.
The slapping sounds echoed as Li Shengan's cheeks trembled.
Yet, the smile on his face didn't fade in the slightest.
Watching Li Shengan, Guanqi's expression remained unchanged; he didn't even utter a word.
However, at that moment, Li Shengan looked up and saw Guanqi.
His eyes darkened instantly upon seeing Guanqi, feeling utterly embarrassed in front of someone close to him.
Li Shengan's gaze also drew the attention of the onlooking disciples to the young man with the pure white eyes.
Whispers broke out among them.
"Isn't that Li Guanqi from Heavenly Thunder Peak?"
The disciple known as Brother Wang turned and caught sight of Guanqi.
His face lit up with a mix of fear and respect as he bowed and greeted, "Brother Li."
Seeing that Guanqi remained silent, Wang Dachun quickly signaled his companions to leave.
Before departing, he didn't forget to bow and hand over the mission token to Guanqi.
Guanqi scoffed and said, "It's your item, why give it to me?"
Wang Dachun glanced at Li Shengan on the ground, hesitating, unclear about the situation.
Nevertheless, not wanting to give up the mission in his hand, he pocketed it and hurriedly walked away.
The crowd of onlookers dispersed as well.
They passed by the two, leaving only Li Shengan on the ground and Guanqi standing.
Li Shengan managed a bitter smile and whispered, "Why didn't you take the mission?"
"This is already the third mission Wang Dachun has snatched from me."
Guanqi moved beside Li Shengan and slowly squatted down.
His eyes emotionless, he looked at Li Shengan and said, "Are you complaining?"
Finally, anger appeared on Li Shengan's face.
"Yes, I am complaining!"
"I've lost everything; can't I even vent a little to a friend?"
But Guanqi didn't agree with him; instead, he flatly stated, "No."
Little Fatty was taken aback, then asked, "Why not?"
Guanqi stood up and looked at him sideways, saying, "What gives you the right?"
Li Shengan, lying on the ground, was stunned, not understanding why Guanqi would question his right to complain.
Guanqi continued, "Haven't you already prepared yourself to be a hopeless good guy?"
"If you've decided to be a hopeless good guy, then what right do you have to complain?"
"You should consider being taken advantage of as a blessing. If someone knocks out your teeth, you should swallow them and greet them with a smile!"
"Isn't that the way of life you've chosen for yourself?"
"If it's your own choice, what right do you have to complain to others?"
His calm words exploded in Li Shengan's mind like thunder, leaving him frozen in place, unable to utter a word.
As Guanqi walked towards the mission hall, he said, "If you want to continue being the good guy, then just lie here."
"Never stand up."
"Swallow the grievances alone, bear them in silence."
"If you're tired of this, then stand up and reason with your fists."
"The only one who can help you is not me, but yourself."
After finishing, Guanqi turned and left.
Li Shengan's expression changed several times as he sat on the ground, then silently stood up and left.
Meanwhile, Guanqi received a rather decent mission at the mission hall.
It was to investigate a ghost haunting a town, with a generous reward of fifty Sect points.
With the exchange rate of one to two for Sect points and Spirit Stones, this mission was worth nearly a hundred Spirit Stones.
Due to three previous failures, the points were high.
However, when Guanqi left the mission hall,
The noise gradually grew louder.
A bloodied Little Fatty stood rigidly at the entrance.
Li Shengan's nose was broken, his eyes swollen, his lips split in several places.
Seeing Guanqi emerge, he grinned and waved the mission token in his hand.
Guanqi's lips curled into a smile, and he patted his shoulder.
Then, Guanqi visited the Treasure Pavilion.
He exchanged points for a few Seal Talismans and then descended the mountain with his sword.
His destination was Xingyun Town in the southern region of the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory.
The town had thrived on weaving and dyeing cloth for generations, with many dye workshops.
Recently, for unknown reasons, many men had met untimely deaths, causing widespread panic.
Traders no longer dared to visit, and upon hearing of this, the Great Xia Sword Sect, after evaluation, issued the mission.
This was Guanqi's first mission since leaving the mountain, and he was somewhat excited.
After all, he had never encountered a ghost and was curious about what they were truly like.
Were they really as intangible as the folk tales suggested?
Guanqi didn't delay on his journey to Xingyun Town.
A hundred miles away, even now, it would take him a day and a night to reach.