Chapter 29: No One Crosses the River Unless They’re Tough
Chapter 29: No One Crosses the River Unless They’re Tough
“According to Mu Manor’s laws, those who slack off and delay important matters will face the whip!”
Facing several stewards who aggressively surrounded him, Mu Feng did not change his expression and loudly scolded, “Now, before the sky has fully darkened, you’re taking it upon yourselves to close the gates of the Chuangong Hall and bullying others by relying on your power. Do you really think that all the people outside are blind? Do you really treat the Punishment Hall as just for show?”
Mu Feng started with reason before resorting to force, taking hold of the ‘reason’ aspect. Mu Manor’s laws were strict. Although these stewards of the Chuangong Hall were arrogant, he did not believe they would dare to slack off publicly!
“Yeah, the time hasn’t come yet, why do you close so early every day? Compared to decades ago when it was open day and night, it’s a far cry. If the Chuangong Hall is like this, no wonder there are fewer and fewer experts in the clan!”
“Exactly, even if the time had passed, how could the Chuangong Hall, with its great responsibilities, simply refuse a clan disciple’s promotion assessment?”
…
More and more clansmen gathered, whispering among themselves. Especially those who arrived later and didn’t see Mu Feng holding the large mallet to beat the drum, although they hardly dared to believe that this frail scholar had broken through his bottleneck so quickly, seeing the arrogance and rudeness of the Chuangong Hall stewards, they began pointing and commenting.
Facing the crowd’s accusations, the leader Roaring Sky Tiger’s face turned green, then red, shifting uncertainly. After weighing the situation, he signaled the stewards behind him to disperse and had no choice but to make way for Mu Feng. He muttered under his breath, cursing his bad luck. If no one had been watching, he wouldn’t have bothered wasting words on Mu Feng, a powerless, frail scholar. But with so many people watching, everyone had to be somewhat cautious.
After all, if many clansmen together reported them to the Punishment Hall, no matter how strong their backing, they probably wouldn’t get away unscathed!
Those guys in the Punishment Hall were all devils who ate people without spitting out the bones. It was easy to get in, but hard to get out!
“Let’s go!”
Roaring Sky Tiger snorted coldly, secretly holding a grudge. Just as he was about to take Mu Feng for the assessment, suddenly, someone lightly tugged his clothes from behind. Turning around, he saw that one of Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan’s Personal Guards had arrived behind him unnoticed. Following the guard’s signal, he stepped aside, and the two spoke quietly for a few moments.
Soon, Roaring Sky Tiger, who had just been somewhat embarrassed and fearful, immediately became emboldened again. He led several stewards to block the gate once more.
“What now?”
Mu Feng raised his eyebrows, coldly staring at the leader Roaring Sky Tiger, trying hard to suppress his anger. With a glance at Mu Qingyuan’s Personal Guard standing in the shadows, he quickly understood what was happening.
“Nothing much, just wanted to tell you—if you want a one-on-one fight, that’s fine; but if you want an assessment, forget about it tonight!”
With Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan’s orders and support, Roaring Sky Tiger felt fearless.
Who was Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan?
The most beloved and cherished grandson of the Elder of Inheritance! Building a good relationship with him would surely lead to a meteoric rise in status within the Chuangong Hall!
Normally, for a lowly steward, there was no chance to curry favor with the lofty Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan. Now that the Second Young Master had actively extended an olive branch, how could he refuse?
On one side, there was the powerful, high-ranking Second Young Master; on the other, a powerless, impoverished, frail scholar who couldn’t be squeezed for even a drop of oil.
Even a fool would know how to choose!
Roaring Sky Tiger was no fool; on the contrary, he was clever and saw a golden opportunity. With Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan as his backer, even if someone reported him to the Punishment Hall, he had nothing to fear!
“You are openly defying the law and challenging the authority of our Mu Manor!”
Mu Feng took a deep breath, and a low rumbling began to emanate from his abdomen. His muscles started to tremble slightly, and his blue robe fluttered as if blown by wind. He stepped forward and coldly continued, “Who do you think you’re fooling with your cheap tricks and dirty intentions? Don’t think that just because you have the support of that good-for-nothing Mu Qingyuan, you can do whatever you want. Mu Manor belongs to all of us, not to Mu Qingyuan alone. Right now, it’s still not too late for you to regret this!”
“You…”
Exposed publicly by Mu Feng’s words, Roaring Sky Tiger grew furious from shame. “How dare you! If you keep spouting nonsense, don’t blame us for being rude! At that point, don’t even think about taking the assessment tonight—not tomorrow, not the day after, not even for the rest of your life!”
He doesn’t know what’s good for him!
Looking at Roaring Sky Tiger stubbornly holding his neck up like a dead chicken, Mu Feng sneered coldly. The angrier he felt inside, the calmer he appeared on the surface. “What’s your name?”
“Roar…ing…Sky…Tiger!”
Roaring Sky Tiger said each word deliberately, fearless. “Kid, you can forget about assessing tonight. If you have the nerve, go report me to the Punishment Hall!”
“Heh heh, go on, report us if you dare!”
“You’re just a scholar—hurry back and write your petition, ha ha ha!”
…
The stewards standing behind Roaring Sky Tiger burst into laughter together, staring coldly at Mu Feng.
Having survived in the Chuangong Hall for so long, every one of them was shrewd and cunning. After spotting Mu Qingyuan’s Personal Guard, they naturally understood what was going on.
Thud…
Answering the stewards’ laughter was a dull sound.
People only saw a blur before their eyes as Mu Feng, standing in place, suddenly delivered a fierce kick that sent Roaring Sky Tiger flying far away. He crashed heavily against the hard wall behind him, the armor on his chest visibly dented in a large area, and who knew how many ribs were broken. Before his body even hit the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood!
Brutal, savage!
In an instant, everyone was stunned into silence. The entire square became utterly quiet.
No one had expected Mu Feng to actually dare to take action in front of the dignified Chuangong Hall—and to strike so viciously right from the start!
This didn’t seem like a clan disciple who had just stepped into cultivation and came for an assessment; he was more like someone here to cause trouble!
Remembering Mu Feng’s earlier ferocity when he held the three-thousand-pound mallet and pounded the war drum like rain, those standing closer shivered and instinctively took several steps back!
“Ah…”
The injured Roaring Sky Tiger, lying on the ground, let out a miserable cry and spat another mouthful of blood. His eyes filled with hatred as he glared at Mu Feng. “You brat, you actually dared to hit me! You’re dead, you’re dead! Do you know what this place is? Do you know who gave the order?”
“Just that good-for-nothing Mu Qingyuan!”
Mu Feng replied with an indifferent cold smile. He hadn’t expected Roaring Sky Tiger to still be unrepentant at this point. With a swift movement, he appeared in front of him, raised his right foot high, and stomped down hard, crushing the latter’s five right fingers. Then, he shifted his sole and ground down forcefully. Instantly, Roaring Sky Tiger, who had been throwing his weight around just moments before, began screaming like a stuck pig.
“What Roaring Sky Tiger? More like Roaring Sky Dog—a henchman who doesn’t know his place!”
Mu Feng’s face was icy as he lifted his right leg, letting the lying Roaring Sky Tiger breathe a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped further harm. But before he could even catch his breath, a sharp, piercing pain shot through the fingertips of his left hand as Mu Feng stomped down on them viciously. With ten fingers connected to the heart, the pain was so intense that his whole body trembled, and he couldn’t even make a sound.
Ruthless, vicious!
Witnessing Mu Feng’s savage strikes, the few stewards who were about to rush forward suddenly halted, a chilling cold rising in their hearts.