As the next morning dawned, Li Yundong stepped out of his room to find the living room already crowded. The little fox spirits were prepared for departure early, while Ziyuan sat quietly in a corner of the sofa, engrossed in a book. Cao Yi, Zhuang Yating, and the third Martial Aunt, Liu Yuehong, huddled together, speaking in low tones. Curiously, Su Chan, who usually loved to frolic with the little fox spirits, sat alone in the dining area, slowly sipping her porridge while darting her eyes around the room.

The little girl spotted Li Yundong at once, her face lighting up with joy. She jumped up, wiped her mouth with her hand, and was about to leap into his arms with a cheerful grin.

Li Yundong looked at her hands, which had just touched her mouth, and chuckled, "Hey, don't wipe your hands on me!"

Before the little girl could embrace him, he stopped her. She pouted, looking aggrieved. "Hmph, I just wanted a hug!"

Li Yundong smiled. "Yes, and a quick hand-wipe while you were at it."

Su Chan stuck out her tongue. "You caught me."

Li Yundong tapped the tip of her nose, mock-scolding her, "Do you think I don't know how many guts you have inside you?"

As they were laughing, Liu Yuehong, who had been mostly silent, suddenly interjected with a smile, "Sect Master, there was quite a commotion in your room last night. What were you busy with?"

Li Yundong turned his head with a smile and replied, "Nothing much, just integrating a new magical artifact."

Liu Yuehong chuckled. "Is that so? We'd certainly like to have our eyes opened."

The little fox spirits also chirped excitedly, one after another. "I told you all the Sect Master was refining an artifact last night, but none of you believed me!"

"Hmph, who didn't believe you? We were just guessing what kind of artifact the Sect Master was acquiring!"

Li Yundong ignored the chattering fox spirits. His gaze accidentally met Ziyuan's as she looked over, then he swiftly averted his eyes as if nothing had happened. He smiled, "Very well, let everyone take a look."

Saying this, without moving an inch, a three-foot long sword suddenly sprang out from behind him. The sword's body was intricately carved with sword patterns, and the hilt was adorned with a red tassel, giving it an antique air.

When Cao Yi saw the long sword, her expression remained unchanged, but a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. Zhuang Yating beside her showed a slight shift in her expression, looking quite astonished. Liu Yuehong seemed the most surprised, exclaiming involuntarily, "This... could this be the Six Harmonies Sword?"

"Six Harmonies Sword?" The little fox spirits cried out in unison, crowding around the sword to get a closer look.

However, the precious sword possessed sentience. Sensing the demonic aura of the little fox spirits, the Six Harmonies Sword immediately shot into the air. Its edge trembled slightly, pointing at the fox spirits with vigilance and hostility, frightening them so much that they shrieked and scattered in all directions.

Li Yundong chuckled, beckoned with his hand, and the Six Harmonies Sword instantly flew back behind him, vanishing from sight.

Only then did the little fox spirits gather back in the living room, still shaken, looking at Li Yundong with reverence. They whispered excitedly, "The Sect Master is so powerful, he's acquired another amazing artifact!"

"Yes, if only he could obtain the Eight Desolations Sword too."

"I wonder when the Sect Master got the Six Harmonies Sword."

"Silly, just ask the Sect Master!"

"Right, let's ask the Sect Master!"

Li Yundong watched the little girls whisper amongst themselves for a moment before they suddenly surged towards him like a tide. He quickly backed up two steps and pointed at Su Chan, "If you have questions, ask her. She knows."

The little fox spirits rushed towards Su Chan like a wave, surrounding her like stars revolving around the moon, eagerly waiting for her to speak the truth. The little girl proudly lifted her head and announced, "Well, that story is quite a long one!"

Seeing Su Chan holding back, the little fox spirits urged her on anxiously. "Junior Sister Su Chan, ah no, Senior Sister Su Chan, can I call you Senior Sister? Tell us quickly!"

"Yeah, big sister Su Chan, hurry up and tell us!"

Su Chan held a very low seniority in the Fox Zen Sect; she was usually the one calling others 'sister.' Today, suddenly having a whole group calling her 'sister,' the little girl grinned from ear to ear. "You want to hear it? Then stop making noise!"

Li Yundong watched the little girl proudly begin her tale, shaking his head with an indulgent smile. He said to Cao Yi, Ziyuan, and the others, "I'm going to clean up and then head out."

By the time he was washed and dressed, the little girl was recounting the awkward scene where their group arrived at Mount Gezao, were forced out by Yan Hua, but inadvertently exposed the people from other sects. The little fox spirits were listening intently and burst into loud laughter at this part.

Li Yundong swept his gaze around and noticed Liu Yuehong was stifling a laugh behind her hand. Although Cao Yi and Zhuang Yating were also smiling, their smiles seemed somewhat unnatural.

Li Yundong inwardly felt a pang of confusion: if one of them acted strangely, it would be normal, but why were both of them behaving oddly?

Li Yundong's gaze lingered on Cao Yi for a moment longer. As if sensing his look, Cao Yi turned her head and smiled, "Sect Master, is something the matter?"

Li Yundong smiled back. "Nothing, let's go."

The group left chatting and laughing. The little girl was an excellent storyteller, vividly recounting everything that happened on Mount Gezao that night. The little fox spirits gasped at times and held their breath at others, not daring to even breathe too deeply.

It wasn't until they reached the pedestrian street that Su Chan finished explaining the entire sequence of events.

After hearing the whole story, the little fox spirits exclaimed and began chattering amongst themselves. One of them asked Su Chan with confusion, "Su Chan, how did you run into the Sect Master and True Person Ziyuan that night?"

Li Yundong's heart skipped a beat. He turned and looked behind him, just as Ziyuan was also looking at him. Their eyes met briefly before both simultaneously focused on Su Chan.

Su Chan's eyes darted around, and she said with a playful grin, "I was bored staying in my room at night, so I went out for a walk to get some air, and then I bumped right into them!"

Li Yundong chuckled inwardly upon hearing this: Heh, the little girl has learned to lie, and she can do it without batting an eye!

Li Yundong quickly scanned Cao Yi and the others again but noticed nothing unusual about them. He frowned inwardly, just about to speak, when he suddenly saw the little girl pointing ahead in alarm. "What's happening up there?"

Li Yundong and the others looked forward. They saw the pedestrian street ahead packed three layers deep with people, a crowd pointing and gesturing towards the center of the area—the location of Li Yundong's shop, Di San Xian.

Li Yundong's heart tightened. Could something have happened to the shop? Where is Ruan Hongling? Could she be in trouble too?

Li Yundong immediately pushed forward, squeezing through the crowd. As he finally broke through, he was struck speechless and felt a massive headache coming on.

In the center of the gathering, seven young men dressed like hooligans were kneeling. Each held up a wooden sign. Judging by how the onlookers were pointing, the signs seemed to have writing on them, but since the men had their backs to Li Yundong, he couldn't see the exact characters.

Ruan Hongling was standing before them, sitting brazenly on a pile of red bricks. She was pointing at them carelessly and saying, "Hey, your order is wrong. Change it again! How many times have you changed it and it's still wrong? Your comprehension is terrible! In one night, I've only seen you arrange yourselves into a shape, then a 'B' shape! How can I let you go when you line up like this?"

The leading hooligan said with a distressed face, "Beautiful..."

He had barely spoken when Ruan Hongling glared at him and threw a small stone, shouting, "What did you call me?"

"Grandma, Great Grandma!" The hooligan cried out in pain as he was struck, bending over. The sign in his hand slapped to the ground, revealing a character 'Li' painted in oil.

The hooligans beside him quickly craned their necks to look, then exchanged glances, and promptly stood up in unison, readjusting their positions before kneeling again.

The surrounding crowd erupted in laughter, whispering to each other.

"Who is this Li Yundong?"

"I don't know. I wonder how this guy offended this barbarian beauty!"

"Sigh, too many Korean dramas—more and more 'savage girlfriends,' it’s terrifying! Tsk tsk!"

Li Yundong's expression was bizarre. He quietly moved through the crowd to stand in front of the kneeling men. He took one look and was instantly furious.

The signs held by the hooligans read, in order: LI YUNDONG IS A BASTARD! The last person was holding a large, bright red exclamation mark!

Li Yundong was so angry his mind was reeling. He stormed over to Ruan Hongling, lowered his voice, and hissed, "Hey, are you crazy! What is going on here?"

Ruan Hongling had spotted Li Yundong a while ago, but she deliberately pretended not to see him. Only when Li Yundong couldn't hold back and rushed up to her did she feign surprise, saying matter-of-factly, "Can't you see? I caught a few petty thieves who have been causing trouble here at night, and I painstakingly gave them a session of persuasive education. I also told them why I'm here so late, and who sent me."

Ruan Hongling stood up, putting on an air of complete innocence, and said to Li Yundong, "Then I asked them: Do you all agree that this Li Yundong is a bastard? And they all nodded vigorously in agreement! Ah, a great man once said: The eyes of the masses are sharp! Don't you agree?"

Li Yundong laughed in anger. He pointed at the signs the men were holding. "Fine, you win! Then what's this arrangement you've got them doing now?"

Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes at Li Yundong. "What else? Playing! Otherwise, with the night so long, what else would you have me do?"

Li Yundong was left speechless. "This is playing?"

Ruan Hongling suddenly revealed a mischievous expression. She pointed at the signs held high above the hooligans' heads and said, "Of course! I gave each of them a sign, but I didn't tell them what was written. Then I made them arrange themselves in order. If they get the order wrong, they have to start over until they get it right, and only then will I let them go!"

Li Yundong was torn between laughter and tears. "I give up on you! Alright, they’ve finally lined up correctly. Let them go quickly! Can't you see how many people are here? Do you want to attract the police?"

Ruan Hongling snorted and said to the hooligans, "Hey, you got the order right, look up and see for yourselves!"

The hooligans, clearly exhausted and dispirited from Ruan Hongling's torment all night, didn't dare look up; they just shook their heads vigorously.

Ruan Hongling laughed and cursed, "A bunch of cowardly idiots, I'm not tricking you this time, look up!"

The leading hooligan saw that Ruan Hongling didn't seem to be lying as she had the previous few times, so he bravely raised his head. The others, seeing someone take the lead, also turned to look at their signs. It would have been better if they hadn't looked; upon seeing the writing, they exploded in anger. "Damn it, which bastard is this Li Yundong, making us suffer like this all night! If I see him, I'll beat him to death sooner or later!"

Ruan Hongling laughed so hard she clutched her stomach, almost rolling on the ground. Su Chan and the others were also laughing uncontrollably, and even Ziyuan couldn't help but giggle behind her hand, shaking charmingly with laughter.

Li Yundong walked up to the hooligans and kicked the one who spoke in the backside. With a dark face, he growled, "I am Li Yundong! What of it!"

The hooligans were startled. They had never imagined that the very person they had been cursing all night was standing right in front of them. They were momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Li Yundong, unable to speak.

Ruan Hongling, who was stirring up trouble as usual, suppressed her laughter and said, "Hey, the main character is here! Pay back any grudges, settle any scores!"

These hooligans weren't fools. They had seen how Li Yundong and Ruan Hongling spoke to each other earlier—they were clearly friends, and intimate ones at that. Since Ruan Hongling had been giving them a hard time all evening, they certainly didn't dare to act rashly.

The leading hooligan plastered on a servile smile and said, "Brother Li, no, no—Lord Li! May I ask where you operate?"

The leading hooligan said this merely as a formality, so he could report back to his brothers later. But Ruan Hongling, never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, said, "You don't even recognize him? Are your eyes useless? Take a good look at his name!"

The leading hooligan widened his eyes, looked at the large character 'Li' written on his sign, and then tentatively asked, "Lord Li, could it be... is your father Li Gang?"

As soon as this question was uttered, the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar, pointing and whispering about Li Yundong.

Li Yundong glared angrily at Ruan Hongling, furious. "I'd like to see how you resolve this!"

Ruan Hongling snorted and said dismissively, "Watch me!" Saying that, she put her hands on her hips and shouted to the surrounding crowd, "Did you all hear that clearly? His father is Li Gang! If you aren't afraid, stay! If you are, leave quickly! Otherwise, if you get run over, it's not my responsibility!"

Immediately, the crowd scattered in all directions like startled birds, scattering like beasts. Even the few hooligans scrambled away, following the crowd in a rush. In an instant, only Li Yundong and his group remained, like a few bare stones left on a beach after the tide recedes.

Ruan Hongling spread her hands, saying triumphantly, "See? It works wonderfully!"

Li Yundong shot her a look. "You took this a bit too far this time!"

Ruan Hongling glared back, unafraid. "Who told you to leave me, a weak woman, here to watch the shop? It's like a haunted house; did you want to scare me to death?"

Li Yundong laughed in annoyance. "You get scared by ghosts? If a ghost saw you, it would be scared to death! Are you joking?"

Ziyuan, seeing the two about to argue again, was about to step in and mediate when she suddenly heard shouting and a series of rapid footsteps approaching from not far away.

Li Yundong and the others turned their heads toward the sound and instantly saw a human wave surging toward them. Amidst the crowd, a woman shouted loudly, "Where is he? Where is Li Gang's son?"

Another roar echoed through the crowd: "There! Right there!"

Li Yundong was dumbfounded, his head throbbing. He stammered, "Damn it, this is too much! How am I supposed to fix this mess?"

====================================== Last week, we ranked seventh on the flower chart. This week, we have four triple updates, on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th. Also, please let me rest for seven days during the New Year. You can save your flowers for this week and give them to those who need them more~ The Lunar New Year is next week, so I'll be resting for a week, but I'll maintain two updates per week; there just won't be any bursts~ I hope my readers can understand. Thank you very much! D