Chapter 32: Who Could Be More Frustrated Than Him
Chapter 32: Who Could Be More Frustrated Than Him
The Chuangong Hall had many disciples—if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred. The Jisidian, although it always only accepted female disciples, also had quite a few in number. Only the Punishment Hall, one of the three pillars, had only nine disciples. Every single one of them was an orphan brought back by the Punishment Elder from outside, all sharing the surname Xing, named Xing Yi, Xing Er, Xing San… and so on. Each one of them was outstanding.
The leading young man was the Punishment Elder’s ninth disciple—Xing Jiu!
“Hahaha, kid, the Punishment Hall is here. You’re finished…”
Roaring Sky Tiger, who was pinned under Mu Feng’s foot, laughed loudly, overjoyed.
After being severely wounded by Mu Feng, he had stubbornly held on without yielding, being tough and unyielding, refusing to admit his own fault and baseness. Was it easy to endure such piercing pain for so long? Now, at last, his choice was proven right: Xing Jiu and his group had arrived. Even if Mu Feng, this scholar, was arrogant, would he dare to challenge the authority of the Punishment Hall?
The Chuangong Hall was responsible for teaching techniques, the Jisidian for ancestor worship and baptisms, while the Punishment Hall specialized in judgment and punishment. Among the three halls, it held the heaviest authority. Even a master at the Mortal Realm Peak wouldn’t dare to challenge the dignity of the Punishment Hall, let alone an ordinary disciple who had just broken through a bottleneck!
Finished?
Mu Feng smiled. He hadn’t expected Roaring Sky Tiger to be so ignorant! With a crack, his foot pressed down lightly, and another of the latter’s ribs broke. Another press, and once again came the crisp sound of crack.
“Ah…”
Roaring Sky Tiger, who had just been ecstatic moments before, suddenly let out a sharp cry of pain!
When carrying out law enforcement outside, every Punishment Hall disciple represented the dignity of the Punishment Hall. To openly attack right under their watch—how arrogant, how brutal was that?
Roaring Sky Tiger hadn’t anticipated this, and the watching clansmen were also collectively shocked. No one had thought that Mu Feng would dare to continue attacking at this moment, and so ruthlessly at that, showing no mercy. If this continued, all the ribs in Roaring Sky Tiger’s body would be completely crushed under his feet within a few more steps. While it felt satisfying, they couldn’t help but worry for him.
To continue attacking right under their noses—this was a blatant challenge to the dignity of the Punishment Hall. How could the powerful Xing Jiu let him off?
“Lord Xing Jiu, arrest… arrest him!”
Roaring Sky Tiger, his face pale, shouted sharply, “This guy actually came to our door openly… openly challenging the authority of the Chuangong Hall. Not only did he claim he would kill us, but he also… falsely accused Second Young Master. According to Mu Manor’s laws, this kid should be executed, beheaded as a public example…”
Perhaps the broken ribs had injured his internal organs; Roaring Sky Tiger’s wounds bled profusely, blood continuously oozing out, his face growing paler and paler. But even so, he still shouted fiercely, wishing he could see Mu Feng arrested and beheaded on the spot with his own eyes. To add weight to his words, he deliberately invoked the prestige of Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan.
“Second Young Master?”
Hearing this, Xing Jiu, who had been about to take action, instead paused, a faint, ambiguous smile appearing on his face. He whispered a few instructions into a guard’s ear. Soon, the whole story was investigated and understood.
After shouting several times and seeing that Xing Jiu still hadn’t moved to arrest Mu Feng, Roaring Sky Tiger, lying on the ground, felt a sudden thump in his heart, instinctively sensing something amiss. Just as he struggled to get up and argue, Mu Feng’s right foot shifted slightly—crack—and another rib broke.
Personality, courage!
Looking at Mu Feng, who remained expressionless and continued to strike mercilessly right in front of him, the powerful Xing Jiu felt no anger. Instead, a trace of appreciation appeared in his eyes.
In recent years, with the decline of Mu Manor, young people like Mu Feng—with courage, spirit, and integrity—were becoming fewer and fewer. As a high-ranking Punishment Hall disciple, no matter where he went, people treated him with utmost respect. While proud, he also felt a sense of loss from time to time, a feeling of loneliness at the top.
Without confidence, without pride, the younger generation of Mu Manor had declined as a whole, forming a vicious cycle. Such a Mu Manor was definitely not what an outer-surnamed disciple like him wished to see, nor would he be content to remain trapped forever in such a fading place.
“Lord Xing Jiu, Mu Feng has committed a capital offense! Take action, arrest him! He has seriously violated Mu Manor’s laws—isn’t that enough to convict him? Second Young Master will be here soon. Do you plan to let Mu Feng continue to make false accusations?”
Roaring Sky Tiger was losing more and more blood, forcing out his cries with his last strength, clinging to a final shred of hope as he once again invoked the name of Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan. But as soon as he finished speaking, seeing the inexplicable smile on Xing Jiu’s face, his heart suddenly sank. He inwardly cursed—this was bad.
Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan had long been domineering within the manor, and his conflicts with the Punishment Hall were longstanding; they never got along. If not for the status of Second Young Master’s grandfather, the Elder of Inheritance, he might have been arrested by the Punishment disciples long ago. Now, by bringing up Second Young Master’s name again and again, wasn’t he just hitting his own foot with a stone he lifted?
Sure enough, hearing this, Xing Jiu’s expression turned cold. “Shut up! When our Punishment Hall enforces the law, is it your place, trash, to comment?”
After understanding the situation, Xing Jiu looked at Roaring Sky Tiger with a touch of instinctive disgust. He paused, then said to Mu Feng, “Young Master Mu Feng, do you admit your crime?”
“Speak!”
Mu Feng didn’t waste words; even facing the fierce Punishment Hall disciples, his expression didn’t change.
Tonight was the final day to submit the Tribute Payment. No matter what, he must complete the assessment registration tonight and directly waive the so-called Tribute Payment! Forget a mere Punishment Hall disciple—even if the lofty Punishment Elder stood in his way, he would not back down!
“According to Article 63 of Mu Manor’s laws, you engaged in unauthorized combat and forced your way into the Chuangong Hall—a serious offense! You shall be imprisoned for seventeen days, with seven lashes each day.”
Xing Jiu’s expression was stern; his already straight figure emanated a murderous aura. As soon as he spoke, a bleak, killing intent filled the air, and the sword at his waist hummed. Just when everyone thought he would order an arrest, his tone suddenly shifted, and he continued, “However, considering that you acted in self-defense and were forced into it, we may consider a lighter punishment. If you turn around and leave now, our Punishment Hall can act as if nothing happened. But if you insist on entering the Chuangong Hall for assessment, you must fight your way through the killing formation of our Punishment Hall’s Law Enforcement Guards as your punishment. You have one quarter of an hour to decide.”
“Good!”
“Impartial handling, adapting to circumstances—this is the true way of law enforcement!”
…
As soon as Xing Jiu finished speaking, the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Living in Mu Manor, who hadn’t suffered from that bully Mu Qingyuan’s arrogance? People remained silent only because they dared to be angry but not speak out.
Seeing that Xing Jiu showed no regard for that bully’s face, the watching clansmen whispered among themselves, secretly relieved, and collectively breathed a sigh of relief for the unwavering Mu Feng. They both hoped he would know his limits and retreat, not provoking the Punishment Hall guards further, and yet felt a flicker of anticipation, hoping to see him press on and charge through, creating a miracle—the first time a clansman fought his way into the Chuangong Hall for assessment.
For thousands of years, every clansman who had just broken through had entered the Chuangong Hall cautiously and nervously. Never had anyone fought their way in on their first attempt!
“What?”
The watching clansmen felt secret satisfaction, but Roaring Sky Tiger, lying on the ground, was bitterly disappointed. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, almost fainting on the spot.
He had waited and waited, finally seeing the arrival of the strict Law Enforcement Guards, only to end up with empty joy.
He had foreseen the beginning but not the end.
He had endured so long with sheer will, and in the end, it was all for nothing!
At this moment, he felt that in millions of years, no one had ever been as frustrated as he was! A thousand years of frustration, all compressed into one moment—the injustice in his heart was beyond words.