Chapter 53: FATSO IS YOUR BRAIN FILLED WITH DUMPLINGS?

The words immediately stirred the crowd again.

Several people began discussing the examination results, while others looked toward Li Yan with curiosity.

Li Yan leaned against the counter and listened to the growing discussion without showing much reaction.

The rumors had already spread beyond what he had heard earlier.

Some claimed that he had received help during the written examination, while others insisted that his connection to Hu Bai had allowed him to bypass the rules.

None of it mattered.

If the sect believed he had cheated, the elders could investigate the matter themselves.

The registration disciple, however, seemed to have become emboldened by the growing crowd.

"You heard them. There are already doubts about your examination results, and now you are trying to use an unverified medal to force me to register you for two departments."

Li Yan looked at him.

"I am not forcing you to do anything. I am telling you what I am entitled to."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Li Yan’s expression remained indifferent.

"You do not have to believe me."

The registration disciple frowned.

"Then why should I accept it?"

"Because the medal was given to me by Elder Mo."

The disciple slammed his palm against the counter.

"And I already told you that I think it is forged!"

The room immediately fell silent for a moment.

Gu Jun’s expression turned cold.

"You are becoming unreasonable."

The registration disciple pointed toward the medal.

"If you are so certain that this is genuine, then take it to Elder Mo yourself and have him confirm it. Until then, I will not register you for two departments."

Li Yan looked at the disciple for a moment before deciding that there was no point arguing with someone who had already made up his mind.

He reached for the medal.

Before his fingers could touch it, however, a familiar pressure descended over the registration office.

The crowd fell silent.

A figure walked through the gathered disciples, and the people standing in his path immediately moved aside.

Li Yan looked toward the approaching person.

The newcomer stopped several steps away and glanced at the crowd before looking toward the registration counter.

"My, my, you are a cruel bunch. Bullying and on the very first day..."

The person who had spoken was Hu Bai, and although a cheeky smile remained on his face, the darkness in his eyes made the disciples surrounding the registration office uncomfortable as he walked through the crowd.

He stopped beside Li Yan and casually placed an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer while looking at the registration disciple behind the counter.

"Mhm, what was your name again?"

The registration disciple swallowed nervously.

"Senior Brother Hu, I am—"

"Fatso, is your brain filled with dumplings?"

Hu Bai’s smile remained, but his eyes became even colder as he picked up the medal from the counter and examined it before placing it back in front of the registration disciple.

"As an inner disciple, how did you fail to recognize the sect’s official medal or Elder Mo’s token? How exactly was he supposed to forge a medal that was personally given to him as a reward?"

The registration disciple’s face turned pale as the surrounding disciples lowered their heads.

"Elder Mo personally gave this to my little brother after the examination, and although the matter was not publicly announced, there were plenty of people present when he was called forward. Yet you stood here in front of everyone and accused him of forging it."

Hu Bai’s gaze swept across the room, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

"You lot are in a lot of trouble. False assumptions, spreading rumors, and gossiping about matters you know nothing about are one thing, but you dragged Elder Mo’s name into it as well. He is a respected elder of this sect, yet you made a mockery of his reputation simply because you wanted to believe some ridiculous rumors."

Nobody in the crowd dared to answer him.

The disciples who had been whispering about Li Yan moments earlier now stood completely silent, and some of them lowered their heads even further when Hu Bai’s gaze passed over them.

Hu Bai looked around the registration office before folding his arms.

"Every single one of you will reflect in the Scripture Hall for seven days. If I find out that anyone skipped even one day, I will fish you out myself and give you an even grimmer punishment, so you had better take those seven days seriously."

The crowd immediately began dispersing, and within moments, the registration office that had been crowded with curious disciples became nearly empty.

Only Hu Bai, Li Yan, Gu Jun, Hu Biyan, and the trembling registration disciple remained.

Hu Bai turned toward the man behind the counter and looked him over from head to toe.

"Now, what shall we do with Fatso? I suppose I will leave that up to Elder Mo. Someone like you does not deserve to be a registrar."

The registration disciple’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.

"Senior Brother Hu, I apologize. I truly did not know. I made a mistake, and I will correct it immediately."

Hu Bai’s expression did not change.

"It is too late for apologies. You were confident enough to accuse someone of forging an official medal in front of an entire room, so you should be prepared to face the consequences of that mistake."

The registration disciple bowed repeatedly.

"Please give me another chance."

Hu Bai glanced toward Li Yan before looking back at him.

"Give him the forms he asked for, and ensure that they are processed properly, because this will be your last job here."

The man’s face became even paler, but he quickly nodded and reached beneath the counter to retrieve the registration forms.

"Yes, Senior Brother Hu."

He placed the forms in front of Li Yan with both hands before bowing his head again.

"I am sorry, Junior Brother Li. I should not have accused you without verifying the medal first."

Li Yan did not bother responding to the apology and simply picked up the forms before moving to the side.

Gu Jun had already completed his own registration, so he stood nearby and waited while Li Yan filled out the two forms he had requested.

The first was for pill formation, while the second was for apothecary, and Li Yan carefully entered the required information before handing both forms back to the registrar.

The man accepted them immediately and began processing them without another complaint.

Li Yan exhaled quietly as he stepped away from the counter, feeling more tired than he had expected after everything that had happened since entering the sect.

He had intended to keep a low profile and spend his first day becoming familiar with his new surroundings. Yet, trouble had found him almost everywhere he went, from the rumors surrounding his examination results to the confrontation at the registration office.

Hu Bai looked at him for a moment before reaching out and pinching his cheek.

"You should have come to me sooner, you cheeky brat."