Chapter 192: Selecting Servants
"Even a newbie like yourself should still know the rules! Senior Martial Brother Shen told you to piss off just now, so why are you still here? Are you deaf, or are you pretending to be deaf?" the thin man beside the menacing middle-aged man yelled.
"To think that a mere early-Core Formation cultivator like yourself dares to display such insolence! You must have a death wish!" the seductive female cultivator on the other side of the middle-aged man scoffed.
Han Li paid no heed to their insults as he remained seated on the ground with his legs crossed.
Right at this moment, Meng Yungui made his way over to Han Li as he said, "It's not wise to oppose these people just for the sake of pride, Fellow Daoist. Given their terrible personalities, there's no way they'd be chosen by the True Immortal anyway."
In the process, he had wedged himself between Han Li and the middle-aged man, and his three companions also joined him as well.
"Meng Yungui, if I were you, I would stay out of this matter rather than stand up for someone I don't even know. Don't think that I would back down just because you managed to reach the late-Core Formation Stage by a massive stroke of luck," the middle-aged man threatened in a cold voice.
Meng Yungui wasn't backing down in the slightest as he declared, "Shen Biao, you and Lu Heng have always been picking on the members of our Meng Clan, and I've been meaning to confront you about this. There's no time like the present to settle our differences."
Right at this moment, another voice suddenly rang out. "Such majesty and prestige! As expected of Young Master Meng! When did you pick up the habit of sticking your nose into random business that has nothing to do with you?"
Everyone turned to discover a handsome young man with an arm wound around a female cultivator's slender waist. He was accompanied by an entourage of about a dozen people, and his peak late-Core Formation Stage aura was on full display.
The middle-aged man was ecstatic to see the new arrival. "Senior Martial Brother Lu, you're finally here!"
The atmosphere in the nearby area immediately became rather tense, and all of the disciples who didn't want to get involved hurriedly backed away to create some space between themselves and the two opposing groups of cultivators.
Han Li heaved a resigned sigh upon seeing this.
He had merely chosen this spot to sit at random, and he didn't think that it would stir up such a far-reaching conflict.
The cultivators accompanying Lu Heng were all at the Core Formation Stage as well, and with Shen Biao's trio thrown into the mix, this was quite a formidable lineup. In contrast, Meng Yungui only had his three companions to back him up.
Fearful looks had appeared on the faces of the round-faced fatso and the other two disciples, but seeing as Meng Yungui was still standing firm, they remained resolute in their stances as well.
Right as this completely lopsided battle was about to commence, another voice suddenly rang out. "Where's the glory in bullying others with a numbers advantage? Why don't you count me in as well, Senior Martial Brother Lu?"
The person who had spoken was none other than Sun Buzheng, who had provoked Meng Yungui earlier. He immediately arrived at the scene of the altercation as well, and his aura indicated that he was also a late-Core Formation cultivator.
"Sun Buzheng, aren't you and Meng Yungui sworn enemies? Are you going to meddle in this matter as well?" Lu Heng asked in a cold voice.
Sun Buzheng was displaying no fear at all as he smiled and replied, "Meng Yungui and I will settle our differences another time, but in the meantime, I can't just stand by and watch you pick on my fellow brethren of the Late Age Nation!"
Han Li was rather intrigued by this turn of events.
Right at this moment, Meng Yungui's voice rang out beside his ears through voice transmission. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, we'll take on Lu Heng and the others on our own. You stay out of this so you don't get injured."
"If you're gonna fight, then hurry up!"
"What's the hold-up?"
"Taking bets now! I'm putting my money on Lu Heng!"
A large crowd had gathered to watch the unfolding altercation, and the scene was becoming quite rowdy.
Lu Heng pushed the beautiful woman beside him away, then raised a hand as he commanded, "Go!"
Shen Biao and the others immediately summoned their respective treasures upon receiving this command, preparing to engage Meng Yungui and his group in battle.
Meng Yungui and his entourage also responded in kind, and the two groups of cultivators were just about to clash when Han Li suddenly appeared between them in a flash, moving at such an incredible speed that it was as if he had teleported there.
Meng Yungui and the others looked on in astonishment as Han Li casually swept a sleeve through the air, and the dozen or so opposing cultivators, including Shen Biao, were all sent flying by a burst of invisible force, then crashed into the distant mountain face before falling unconscious.
The rowdy bystanders instantly fell silent as if they had each taken a punch to the gut, and all of them were rooted to the spot as they looked on with stunned expressions.
Lu Heng's hand was still outstretched as he stared at Han Li with utter bewilderment.
At this moment, he was no longer able to sense Han Li's aura at all, as if it were only a mere mortal standing before him.
Even the Nascent Soul Stage disciples at the entrance of the valley were all looking on in dumbfounded shock.
After a brief silence, a hint of realization abruptly appeared in Meng Yungui's eyes, and he was the first to snap back to his senses as he hurriedly fell to his knees.
"Disciple Meng Yungui pays his respects to the esteemed elder!"
Immediately thereafter, all of the thousands of disciples in the area also sank to their knees one after another.
Lu Heng's forehead was pressed firmly against the ground, and his entire body was already drenched in cold sweat.
Han Li paid no heed to Lu Heng as he swept a sleeve through the air, releasing a gentle breeze that lifted Meng Yungui to his feet. "My surname is Li. From now on, you can remain by my side as my servant."
Meng Yungui faltered slightly upon hearing this, following which an ecstatic look appeared on his face, but that was then quickly replaced by a hesitant expression.
"If you have some qualms, then feel free to express them," Han Li said.
A slightly embarrassed look appeared on Meng Yungui's face as he said, "Elder Li, I have a young sister who's only just reached 18 years of age and recently progressed to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Would you be able to accept her as your servant as well?"
A cold look appeared on Han Li's face as he said, "The pursuit of the Great Dao is a cruel and lonely endeavor. If you do not sever your ties with the mortal world, you won't be able to truly embark on that journey. Do you understand?"
Meng Yungui hurriedly cupped his fist in a salute as he replied, "I do, it's just that my sister is still young, and if I leave her to her own devices here, I'm afraid that she'll... I understand that I'm asking too much. My sincerest apologies, Elder Li, but I won't be able to serve by your side."
Everyone was completely bewildered to hear this. In their eyes, it was nothing short of incredible that someone had passed up the opportunity to become a servant to a True Immortal.
If one could become a servant to a True Immortal, even the slightest bequeathments from the True Immortal would be enough to benefit them immensely on their cultivation journey, and that wasn't even to mention how invaluable the guidance of a True Immortal would be in one's cultivation.
With that in mind, one had to have either been insane or downright stupid to turn down such an opportunity!
However, to everyone's astonishment, Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he said, "The Great Dao has no tolerance for emotional and sentimental ties, but at the end of the day, we are still human. How many people can truly be completely heartless and devoid of emotion? I'll accept both you and your sister as my servants. On top of that, you can pick out eight more people to serve by my side."
Meng Yungui shuddered violently as if he had been struck by lightning upon hearing this, and he was staring at Han Li with incredulity in his eyes.
The surrounding crowd had also erupted into a frenzy and were chattering spiritedly among themselves.
Virtually everyone immediately turned to Meng Yungui with imploring looks in their eyes, as if he were a god that would decide whether they got to live or die.
Meanwhile, Han Li sat down onto the ground with his legs crossed and closed his eyes to meditate, seemingly truly giving Meng Yungui full rein over who he was going to choose.
After taking a moment to collect himself, Meng Yungui pointed to the person standing directly before him as he said, "Meng Xiong."
Meng Xiong was the name of the round-faced fatso that had always been by his side, and he was so excited that tears were already beginning to swim in his eyes.
"Meng Xiong, go and fetch Qianqian for me. Meng Yu, Meng Guang, Fang Yao..."
After instructing the fatso to get his sister, Meng Yungui called out another six names, two of whom were also from the Meng Clan, while the rest were simply on good terms with him.
All of those who had their names called began to weep with joy as they made their way over to Meng Yungui's side.
Only then did Han Li open his eyes and take a quick glance at the people that Meng Yungui had chosen.
Aside from Meng Yungui's sister, who wasn't here yet, the rest of them were all Core Formation cultivators.
Right at this moment, Meng Yungui made his way over to a certain person and gave them the last spot.
"Sun Buzheng..."
Sun Buzheng was completely incredulous at the sound of his own name coming out of Meng Yungui's voice, and he turned to his former good friend with a perplexed expression.
"I will tell you this once again, Sun Hao: I do not get to decide the fate of a nation, and there are many complex circumstances involved. However, I always have and will continue to regard you as my friend," Meng Yungui said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
Tears began to well up in Sun Buzheng's eyes, and to conceal his embarrassment, he put on a displeased look as he corrected, "Don't call me Sun Hao, I changed my name to Sun Buzheng long ago!"
After everyone was selected, Han Li didn't say anything as he led Meng Yungui and the others straight to the Cattail Spirit Palace for registration, and they were followed by several thousand disciples who were clearly still not willing to give up.
Given Han Li's status and cultivation base, he could've easily chosen dozens or even hundreds of servants, but he had no intention of doing that.
Right as they emerged from the Cattail Spirit Hall, a crisp and pleasant voice rang out from within the crowd. "Big Brother!"
A young woman then darted her way through the crowd in an agile manner like a little red sparrow, arriving beside Meng Yungui before latching onto his arm, and she was followed immediately by Meng Xiong.
"Elder Li, this is my sister, Meng Qianqian. Qianqian, pay your respects to Elder Li," Meng Yungui introduced with a slightly bashful expression.
Meng Qianqian hurriedly released her brother's arm upon hearing this, and she extended a deep curtsey toward Han Li with curiosity brimming in her large eyes. "Qianqian pays her respects to Elder Li."
Han Li smiled as he nodded in response, and he noticed that she was wearing a crescent-shaped jade pendant on her waist that seemed to have been identical to Meng Yungui's.
Looking at Meng Qianqian, he couldn't help but think of his little sister, and a barely detectable hint of warmth flashed through his eyes.
This was one of the reasons why he had agreed to accept both of them as his servants.
"Take this fire spirit pendant. It's not exactly an immortal treasure, but it can be worn to enhance the rate of cultivation for someone using fire-attribute cultivation arts." Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a fiery red penannular jade pendant as he spoke, then handed it to Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian was initially quite taken aback, but she then hurriedly accepted the pendant as she expressed her gratitude.
She then strung the jade pendant onto her waist right next to the crescent-shaped pendant, and as she began to walk, the pair of pendants clattered together to produce a crisp and pleasant sound, much to the envy of all of the surrounding onlookers.
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