Chapter 224: Ghostly Talented Scholar
Chapter 224: Ghostly Talented Scholar
A dark, heavy sword soon appeared before everyone.
Mu Feng did not even glance at the arrogant young men. After unwrapping the cloth strips, he lifted the Black Inscription Heavy Sword and blew on it lightly.
Hum…
A sword hum echoed for a long time inside the private room.
Unlike the clear ring of ordinary longswords, this was a dull sound, like a hurricane crashing into a towering, majestic mountain. It was deep and muffled, the residual echo lingering, causing everyone’s hearts to tremble. Instantly, along with the one who called himself Second Master Liu, the young men all changed expressions. Even the short, silent young man in the middle, who had been watching quietly, now looked grave.
“What? Can’t wipe it clean, so you’re going to break your word and start a fight?”
Looking at the heavy sword in Mu Feng’s hand, the young man who called himself Second Master Liu instinctively felt a trace of unease and subconsciously stepped back a few paces. But his mouth remained as defiant as ever, unwilling to show fear in front of others. He said sternly, “Jiangling Prefecture is the capital of our Southern Borderlands. The laws are strict here. How can a wild, untethered person like you act so recklessly? You were at fault first, and now you’re taking the initiative to attack a Scholastic Palace scholar. Aren’t you afraid of being arrested, exiled eight thousand miles, and left to keep company with the Southern Tribes?”
“Scholastic Palace scholars? With conduct like yours, do you even deserve the title?”
Mu Feng smiled faintly and said no more. A wave of oppressive heat suddenly erupted from within him, and he swung the sword.
Hum…
People saw only a flash of black light. The table placed in the center of the private room remained unmoved, but a thin layer had been cleanly scraped off its surface. Wisps of smoke rose into the air. Over the years, moisture that had seeped into the wood was forcibly evaporated by the intense heat. A seemingly brand-new, almost spotless dining table appeared before everyone.
By the time people realized what had happened, Mu Feng had already bent down, rewrapped the Black Inscription Heavy Sword with the cloth strips, and slung it over his back. Among the many people present, almost no one had been able to clearly see his movements.
“Second Lord, this bead is for you. Now, is it clean enough? May I leave?”
Mu Feng looked calmly at the arrogant Second Master Liu, then turned and walked out with the heavy sword on his back. As he passed by, he tossed a bead into the latter’s hand.
Seeing him approach, the young men blocking the door instinctively moved aside, clearing a wide path.
“Stop him! Chase him! Don’t let him get away!”
Only after Mu Feng’s figure disappeared down the staircase did the young man who called himself Second Master react, his face contorted with rage. Just as he was about to lead the chase, his sleeve was suddenly grabbed.
The short young man who had remained silent and watchful stepped forward. “Young Master Liu, let it go. Don’t ruin our drinking mood because of me, Lu Xuanfeng.”
“Let it go?”
Second Master Liu’s face turned ashen. He said fiercely, “Young Master Lu, are you worried we’re no match for him? Hmph, what’s there to fear? At worst, I’ll send someone back to the Jiangling government office to summon a large group of constables. I don’t believe that loner would dare to openly resist arrest!”
“Young Master Liu, look at the bead in your hand.”
Seeing that the self-styled Second Master Liu was still unwilling to relent, the short young man named Lu Xuanfeng shook his head.
Hearing this, the young man named Liu looked down and his face changed dramatically. What he held in his hand was not a bead at all, but countless dust-like wood shavings.
Clearly, after scraping off a thin layer from the tabletop, Mu Feng had made a grasping motion in the air, condensing all the lifted wood shavings into a clump. That wasn’t the most shocking part. The wood bead formed from the shavings also shimmered with faint traces of blood light. Feeling an itch between his eyebrows, he reached up and touched the spot, only then realizing that a shallow cut had been made there at some point, with a little blood seeping out.
Incredible!
A master who remained expressionless, with unfathomable strength!
Second Master Liu’s face turned pale, and his right hand holding the wood bead trembled slightly despite himself. The young men standing behind him also gasped in unison.
Mu Feng, who seemed unremarkable, possessed sword skills that were simply divine.
If his sword tip had pierced just a little deeper, what would have happened?
Liu Lei, who had always been domineering within the city, finally smelled the scent of death at that moment, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Young Master Liu, that’s not all. Did you notice the sword on that person’s back?” The short Lu Xuanfeng asked the pale Liu Lei.
“I didn’t pay much attention. Why?” Liu Lei asked.
In front of others, he was always arrogant and overbearing, but in front of Lu Xuanfeng, who was a head shorter than him, he did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent and was utterly respectful.
“That’s no ordinary longsword, but a rare heavy sword!”
Lu Xuanfeng paused, then continued slowly, “I don’t know if you noticed, but the moment that young man took the heavy sword off his back and placed it on the ground, the entire Wangjiang Tower shook slightly, and the rug under our feet immediately kicked up a cloud of dust. If I’m not mistaken, that sword weighs at least seven or eight thousand jin. If that young man were to strike down hard with it, he might split this entire tall tower in half with one swing!”
What, seven or eight thousand jin?
Everyone gasped in shock. Though surprised, no one doubted the words of Lu Xuanfeng in his gray robe.
Well-versed in the heavens above and the earth below, known as the omniscient Ghostly Talented Scholar, the mysterious Ghost Valley Inheritor!
His words were ironclad fact; no one had any doubts.
As the son of the Jiangling Prefect, Liu Lei was called Second Master because he was the second son in his family. Though usually arrogant, he was not stupid. He quickly understood the severity and humbly sought advice. “Young Master Lu, then what kind of person is this young man, and what should we do now?”
“I don’t know. The Great Thousand World is full of wonders. What I know isn’t much more than what you know. I’m just good at observing and like to analyze and infer everything.”
The one called Ghostly Talented Scholar, Lu Xuanfeng, smiled. He appeared thin and short, unimpressive in looks, but he carried an extraordinary aura about him, different from the many fops around him. After a moment of thought, he looked at Liu Lei and said, “Young Master Liu, this is just a small matter. There’s no need to hold onto it. It’s best to avoid provoking that young man from earlier.”
“Alright, understood, Young Master Lu. I’ll listen to you. Come, come, brothers! Let’s celebrate Young Master Lu joining us and congratulate our Xiangshan Academy for gaining a true genius!” Liu Lei nodded and invited Lu Xuanfeng to sit. Soon, the waiter brought a large table full of wine and dishes.
On the surface, the hospitable Liu Lei seemed to have forgotten the earlier unpleasantness, but a fierce glint still flashed in his eyes from time to time. After three rounds of drinks, he quietly whispered a few instructions into a follower’s ear. The latter hurried away to secretly investigate Mu Feng’s identity and whereabouts.
Seeing that Liu Lei still bore a grudge and couldn’t let it go, the one called Ghostly Talented Scholar, Lu Xuanfeng, did not forcefully stop him but sighed inwardly. Gazing out the window at the rolling river flowing east, he recalled Mu Feng’s stunning sword strike and couldn’t help but become lost in thought. He mused to himself that the weapon catalog and cultivation manual rankings his master compiled decades ago might need to be rewritten again.