Chapter 27: Presenting the Ring of Acceptance

"Speed ​​back to Scarlet Peak Mountain."

Li Taixing took out the Chifeng Token and heard a voice coming from inside. The voice was unmistakably Wang Xuanwu's, with a serious tone.

Li Taixing frowned and thought, 'You're not angry that I'm not on the mountain?'

"Boss, what's the matter?" Lu Tong also heard Chi Feng Ling's voice and asked curiously.

"My master is looking for me, so it seems I have to go back first." Li Taixing sighed. He had originally wanted to stay with them for a while, but it seemed it wouldn't be possible.

"Well, boss, you go back."

"Yes!" Sun Bohu also giggled dryly, adding, "Boss, you have to work hard!"

"Okay, I'll go back first, and I'll come see you next time."

"Good!"

Li Taixing transferred their firewood into a ring, took out six others, and handed them to Lu Tong.

"Distribute these rings. If you have any questions, let me know," Li Taixing instructed.

"Boss, what is this?" Lu Tong was surprised when he saw the ring in his palm.

"This is a ring. There are seven of them—one for each of you," Li Taixing explained.

"This, boss, is too expensive. We can't accept it."

When Lu Tong realized it was a Na Ring, he was taken aback. Such items were rare and expensive, and to see Li Taixing take out seven at once was shocking.

However, Lu Tong hesitated to accept them and tried to return the rings to Li Taixing.

Li Taixing quickly closed Lu Tong's hand, pushing it back while pretending to be angry: "Enough nonsense! Take it. Don't you even listen to your boss?"

"No."

Lu Tong shook his head quickly.

"Good. Now I have to return to Scarlet Peak Mountain. I'll see you next time."

"All right."

As Li Taixing departed, Lu Tong sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.

Meanwhile, Sun Bohu, filled with excitement, rushed to Lu Tong. "Quick, give me one. I want to use it now."

Lu Tong glared at him, "Look at you, acting all excited."

Sun Bohu, however, ignored him and asked curiously, "This is the first time I've seen one. How do I use it?"

"It's simple: Recognize the master with a drop of blood. From then on, you can access it with your mind."

"Can it store living things?"

"No, only non-living things. The capacity of the ring depends on its size. The bigger your ring, the more it can store."

"Oh, I see."

"Yes."

With these Na Rings, their tasks would be much easier to complete in the future. Lu Tong thought of Li Taixing's generosity, and guilt washed over him. They had done nothing for Li Taixing, yet he had given them such valuable items.

This only deepened Lu Tong's guilt toward him.

"Let's hand in our tasks," Lu Tong said, taking out the firewood that belonged to Sun Bohu from his ring.

After teaching Sun Bohu how to use the ring, they stored the firewood and headed to the task pavilion.

---

In the task cabinet:

Cai Tongsheng was lying lazily in his seat, bored and muttering to himself. Beside him, Li Bingchang was working tirelessly, calculating and recording data.

It was nearing noon, and some disciples had yet to submit their tasks, leaving Li Bingchang with a load of registrations to handle.

Just as Cai Tongsheng was sinking deeper into his boredom, he noticed two figures approaching the entrance.

Squinting to get a better look, he recognized Lu Tong and Sun Bohu, and his demeanor immediately brightened. Cai Tongsheng quickly stood and approached them with a joyful expression.

Not long ago, Cai Tongsheng had tried to seek revenge on Li Taixing, speaking ill of him to his second uncle, Cai Yin, in hopes of settling the score. But instead, his uncle nearly threw him out and warned him to never provoke Li Taixing or his companions again. Worse, he even threatened Cai Tongsheng's manhood if he dared to disobey.

Now, fearing for his well-being, Cai Tongsheng went out of his way to please anyone associated with Li Taixing.

"Ah! Brothers Lu and Sun!" Cai Tongsheng called out enthusiastically. His attitude was so warm that it left Li Bingchang confused.

Li Bingchang stared in disbelief and pinched his own face, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"Come on, sit here!" Cai Tongsheng ushered them to some seats and quickly brought them tea.

Lu Tong and Sun Bohu were taken aback by Cai Tongsheng's eagerness.

"Cai Deacon, you're being too kind to us. This really isn't necessary," Lu Tong said, alarmed by his sudden friendliness.

"Exactly. There's no need," Sun Bohu chimed in, standing up quickly. Neither of them dared to accept the tea.

Seeing their reaction, Cai Tongsheng scratched his head awkwardly, realizing his mistake. "Oh, right. You're here to submit your task, aren't you?"

"Yep!"

"Good."

Cai Tongsheng swiftly turned to Li Bingchang. "These two brothers have overfulfilled their tasks."

Li Bingchang's face darkened in frustration. They hadn't even submitted their materials yet, so how could they have exceeded the quota? If the higher-ups conducted an audit and found discrepancies, it would be trouble.

But Cai Tongsheng didn't care. His main concern was avoiding trouble with Li Taixing and his companions. He would even go up the mountain himself to cut wood if necessary.

"Uh, Cai Deacon, our task is complete, and we did exceed the requirements. But how did you know?" Lu Tong asked, puzzled by Cai's certainty.

"Cai Deacon, you're amazing!" Sun Bohu added, giving him a thumbs-up.

Cai Tongsheng was slightly embarrassed. He'd been bluffing but was relieved to discover his guess was accurate. Laughing awkwardly, he said, "Of course! I'm the most handsome deacon in the task pavilion, after all."

Ignoring the awkwardness, Cai Tongsheng continued praising himself. Meanwhile, Li Bingchang, Lu Tong, and Sun Bohu couldn't help but feel nauseated.

---

At Scarlet Peak Mountain:

"Meet Master."

Li Taixing had finally returned to Scarlet Peak Mountain. He had rushed all the way and, upon arriving, saw his master, Wang Xuanwu, speaking with a strange girl.