Chapter 31: Xing Jiu
Chapter 31: Xing Jiu
He Yong was an outer disciple of Mu Manor. His grandfather had been an ordinary guard there, and his father had also been an ordinary guard—so ordinary he could not have been more ordinary. The son had followed in the father’s footsteps. But when it came to his own generation, he really did not want to remain just an ordinary guard anymore. He tried every trick to climb up the social ladder. By a stroke of luck, he had managed to become the personal guard of the Second Young Master, Mu Qingyuan.
Because he had a clever mind, he was often able to stay by Mu Qingyuan’s side, and his status and position gradually rose. Sadly, his good fortune ended there.
Although he had served Mu Qingyuan carefully for years, he could not rise any further. It was not until Skinny Monkey, who handled certain matters, was unexpectedly killed that he saw a rare golden opportunity. So, he put in extra effort. Without Mu Qingyuan having to say much, he volunteered himself and eagerly ran over to deliver a message. He found Roaring Sky Tiger, a steward he often drank and had fun with, to deliberately make trouble for Mu Feng and try to ruin his plans.
At first, everything went as he had hoped. Mu Feng was forcibly blocked outside the door by Roaring Sky Tiger and his men. But he never imagined that, in the blink of an eye, the situation would take a sharp turn for the worse. The leader, Roaring Sky Tiger, was kicked flying, his hands crippled. The remaining four stewards all charged together, but not only could they not catch Mu Feng—they were all knocked down in a single encounter!
What place was this?
This was the Chuangong Hall, the most crucial place in all of Mu Manor for teaching and passing on skills!
Who would have thought that Mu Feng, that gentle scholar of the past, would directly resort to violence here? And who would have thought he would be so ruthless?
After snapping out of it and realizing something was wrong, He Yong quickly tried to slip away. Unfortunately, it was already too late!
His neck was grabbed from behind by Mu Feng, and then he was slammed into the ground like a sandbag. Instantly, the blood and energy inside him churned, as if all his internal organs had been violently shaken to pieces. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. After turning over, he saw Mu Feng coldly approaching, and a soul-shaking terror rose from within him!
“Speak! Tell me exactly how Mu Qingyuan instructed you!” Mu Feng said expressionlessly, his cold gaze fixed on the terrified He Yong on the ground, forcing him to expose the vile and cunning Mu Qingyuan behind the scenes.
“I don’t know, I really don’t know anything! I was just passing by!”
He Yong shuddered, his voice hoarse. His neck was stiff and painful, as if Mu Feng’s grip had just broken his neck bone. “Sir, no—Mu Feng… Young Master Mu Feng, I don’t know anything. Please, have mercy on me!”
Seeing the miserable state of the several stewards from the Chuangong Hall nearby, He Yong completely lost his will and courage to resist. With each step Mu Feng took closer, his fear grew, making his heart race. But even though he was extremely afraid, it was absolutely impossible for him to reveal the Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan behind it all. Unless he no longer wanted to live in Mu Manor, or even in all of Jianning City.
“Three…”
Mu Feng did not bother with further words. He directly stepped on He Yong’s right fingertips and coldly ground his foot down.
“Ah… I don’t know, I really don’t!”
He Yong let out a miserable cry. Earlier, it had been Roaring Sky Tiger; now it was his turn to experience the pain of fingers connecting to the heart. The agony pierced him to the core, and his hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
“Two…”
Mu Feng’s voice was icy. He pressed down again with his foot, grinding and then twisting hard.
In an instant, He Yong, lying on the ground, opened his mouth wide but could not make a sound for a long time. The pain was so intense he could not even cry out. At that moment, he finally understood what it meant to wish for death over life, to prefer death to such suffering! Just as Mu Feng was about to count to one, he finally broke and loudly begged for mercy, “Young Master, spare me! Young Master Mu Feng, spare me! I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything! Ah…”
“What were you doing here at the Chuangong Hall?”
“Looking for Roaring Sky Tiger, to have him stop you from entering the Chuangong Hall for the assessment!”
“Who told you to do this?”
“Sec… Second Young Master!”
“Louder!”
“It… it was Second Young Master Mu… Mu Qingyuan!”
…
After suffering the consequences, the pain made He Yong tremble all over. He answered every question, not daring to hide anything anymore.
Exposing the Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan behind the scenes would undoubtedly lead to a terrible fate. But if he did not tell the truth, he had no doubt that Mu Feng would crush him to death under his foot!
He looked up at Mu Feng’s eyes, which showed not a trace of emotion, and his fear grew deeper and deeper.
Seeing that He Yong had spilled everything, Roaring Sky Tiger, who had been stubbornly lying on the ground as well, turned ashen-faced. He felt like banging his head against the wall and wished he could tear He Yong into a thousand pieces.
By gritting his teeth and holding on, he would at most suffer some physical pain—surely Mu Feng would not dare to kill someone in public. Afterward, the Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan and First Senior Brother Mu Tie would naturally stand up for him and give him ample compensation. But now, this brat He Yong had said everything out in the open. Wasn’t that just asking for a death sentence?
Even if Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan did not hold it against him, once the matter was exposed, the Punishment Hall would probably not let him off easily either!
“This is too much! Isn’t this clearly bullying?”
“Exactly! I said, why is Roaring Sky Tiger so unreasonable? So, it was all the Second Young Master behind it!”
…
After hearing He Yong’s confession in public, the crowd broke into an uproar.
That troublemaker Mu Qingyuan had always been tyrannical within the manor. He often picked on Mu Feng, that powerless gentle scholar, finding his own joy in others’ suffering. This was almost common knowledge in the manor. But the advancement assessment was a matter that concerned a clan disciple’s entire future. To cause trouble even in such an important matter—this was really going too far!
“Shut up, He Yong! Spreading such vicious lies—have you truly grown tired of living?”
Roaring Sky Tiger, lying on the ground, roared angrily. He wished he could crawl over and rip out He Yong’s tongue.
His hands had been smashed to pieces, his cultivation crippled, making him hate Mu Feng to the bone. He would rather die than beg for mercy and admit defeat! Besides, if he begged for mercy and confessed now, the situation would only get worse. He could only stick to his mistake to the end and firmly deny everything.
“Who exactly is tired of living?”
Looking at Roaring Sky Tiger, who still refused to repent even at this stage, Mu Feng gave a cold laugh, his killing intent soaring.
In this world, there were always some people who thought too highly of themselves, who would not give up until they saw the coffin, their brains addled. With such fellows, there was nothing to say!
Thud…
Mu Feng kicked out again, sending the reckless Roaring Sky Tiger flying. Then, he stepped on his chest. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow, a commotion suddenly arose from the crowd of onlookers.
“Halt! Everyone, stand still!”
“Make way, all of you, unless you want to die! Sir Xing Jiu has arrived!”
…
After a lot of shouting, a group of people charged ominously out from the crowd. Their armor was engraved with a Tiger Bone Whip, symbolizing the authority of the Punishment Hall. The leader was a young man who stood as straight as an unsheathed sword, radiating a fierce killing aura.
Xing Jiu!
Ranked ninth among the disciples of the Punishment Hall, the sharp and imposing Xing Jiu had finally arrived with a team of Law Enforcement Guards. Seeing his figure, Roaring Sky Tiger, who was pinned down under Mu Feng’s foot, grew excited. He finally saw a hope for turning things around.