Chapter 2398

They were hacked to pieces, a gruesome sight, as if these people were worthless objects, casually discarded. Meanwhile, the perpetrator swaggered away without a shred of guilt or pity.

The victims could only watch helplessly, their hearts filled with grief and helplessness.

The sect disciple who should have been their lifeline now completely changed his demeanor.

He not only failed to help, but instead turned into a supervisor, coldly urging the Li family to clean up the corpses.

This huge contrast left several Li family members unable to accept it at once, as if they were trapped in a nightmare, unbelievable.

However, the sect disciple cared nothing for their feelings, merely speaking coldly.

"Move faster, be more serious, clean this place up, don't leave any bloodstains."

"What are you doing? Pick up your hands, pick up your hands."

His voice was ice-cold and merciless, just like this cruel reality, sending chills down one's spine.

Although the Li family members were full of grief and anger, they dared not defy the sect disciple's order.

They endured the pain in their hearts and silently began to clean up the mess all over the ground. Meanwhile, that sect disciple stood aside supervising, occasionally issuing rebukes.

At the same time, in the shop's backyard, Tao Qian and Kui Xing were leisurely sitting in Yuàn zhōng.

The previous shop assistant stood respectfully before them, head lowered, looking fearful and uneasy.

How could he not be fearful? These two were practically lunatics—not only did the Li family think they were crazy, but even the shop assistant thought they had gone completely off the rails.

On this point, the shop assistant and the Li family were in complete agreement, with no fault.

After all, if they weren't insane to the extreme, how could they have done something so indiscriminate between friend and foe?

You need to aim before you swing—just now those two swings almost had him cut down on the spot.

And if he didn't die at the hands of the Li family but instead at his own people's hands, that would be truly unjust—who could he turn to for justice?

Thus, at this very moment, when he faced Tao Qian and the other alone, his fear was genuine, absolutely not an act.

Even before he could speak, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

"Gr... gre... great sir..."

He could barely get his words out, and just as he was stammering, unable to finish, Tao Qian suddenly spoke up to interrupt him.

"Is this shop under your charge?"

"Sir, I am merely ordered to temporarily guard the shop; as for the manager, no arrangement has been made yet."

He replied respectfully, his voice slightly trembling.

After all, with his background, wanting to become a shop manager is indeed difficult.

Hongyue's arrangement was merely to have him simply watch the shop; other matters naturally didn't require his concern.

Tao Qian listened expressionlessly; these matters were utterly irrelevant to him.

He only knew to complete the task entrusted by Ye Zhangqing, ignoring everything else.

So, upon hearing the shop assistant's answer, Tao Qian suddenly shifted his tone and asked.

"Besides the Li family in the city, is anyone else causing trouble?"

The shop assistant hesitated a bit, seeming to consider how to answer this question.

After a while, he then spoke cautiously.

"... For now, there's none; only the Li family, seeing the situation improve, wants to seize the opportunity to profit."

Tao Qian nodded, indicating he understood the situation.

He then casually asked a few questions about the shop's business and daily operations, and the shop assistant answered each truthfully.

After finishing, Tao Qian waved his hand, indicating the shop assistant could leave.

The shop assistant, as if granted a pardon, hastily bowed and then quickly walked out of the backyard.

Only after stepping out the backyard gate did he dare to breathe easy, feeling as if he had just awakened from a nightmare.

However, the moment he relaxed, he suddenly felt his legs go weak, almost collapsing to the ground.

He couldn't help but wryly laugh, inwardly sighing that the pressure from facing Tao Qian and the person beside him was truly immense.

It's hard to imagine how great the pressure would be when facing that young master.

This shop assistant came from humble origins and had naturally never encountered such an important figure.

Having felt such strong pressure just from Tao Qian and another, one can imagine how much greater it would be for the legendary Yāoniè Ye Zhangqing of the present age.

He couldn't help but ponder that if he truly faced the young master, even standing might become a problem.

However, the shop assistant didn't realize that Ye Zhangqing's impression on people was completely different from Tao Qian and company.

After all, Ye Zhangqing hasn't cultivated that ruthless Dao—who would cultivate such a thing?

It looks poisonous. The shop assistant secretly relaxed a bit, and after a while he came to his senses, slowly returning to Front Hall.

Upon arriving at Front Hall, he was surprised to find that it had already been mostly cleaned up by the Li family members.

The earlier horrifying severed limbs and broken arms, along with the bloodstains covering the ground, had been cleaned spotless, as if this place had never witnessed that bloody incident.

However, the damaged houses had not yet been repaired; it would likely take several days to finish.

This speed made even the shop assistant feel somewhat unreal.

Most importantly, they are Li family members after all.

But before the shop assistant could think further, he saw the sect disciple already approaching with a smile, speaking warmly.

"Fellow Daoist, you're back—let me know if anything still dissatisfies you, and I'll have them redo it."

"Huh???"

Upon hearing that, the shop assistant blinked, for a moment staring blankly at the sect disciple before him.

Having stayed in Iron City for a while, he naturally knew the other's identity.

In the past, that person was definitely aloof, looking down on others.

Not to mention facing a mere shop assistant like him—even when confronting someone like the Li family patriarch, that sect disciple is arrogant and haughty.

Yet the head of the Li family dared not show the slightest displeasure, merely bowing and scraping.

But now, this Sect disciple is so enthusiastic toward him, even though he is merely a lowly shop assistant.

His cultivation is probably not even as good as that of their Sect's Outer Door Disciple, yet they treat him this way.

There is only one reason: because he works at the Canteen.

However, after coming to his senses, this shop attendant did not lose his composure because of it, and still replied respectfully.

"Reply, sir, everything is fine, and please trouble yourself no further, sir; this humble one is terrified."