After making their decision, Chu Feng and the others headed toward the Hall of the Headmaster, wanting to wait there for his return.
Along the way, they attracted no small amount of attention. Especially when they passed through the square where the incident had occurred, the bystanders who had witnessed everything wore expressions of utter astonishment, their eyes brimming with wonder and confusion.
Watching the Elders treat Chu Feng with such deference and care — not the slightest hint of harshness — it looked nothing like escorting a criminal to trial. It was more like attending to an honored guest.
"What's going on? Why do the Elders seem less like they're bringing Chu Feng in for judgment and more like they're escorting him back?"
"I told you this Chu Feng wasn't someone to be trifled with. To dare oppose the Han Family so brazenly — he's obviously got something backing him up. Look, even the Elders don't dare lay a hand on him. That says it all. It seems the Han Family has finally met its match."
"No way? I heard this Chu Feng came from the Southern Seas, didn't he? What kind of backing could someone from the Southern Seas possibly have in our Land of Martial Arts?"
"You really are dense. Who says you need backing to be taken seriously? Didn't you see his performance earlier? Even the Elders couldn't keep up with him. That kind of strength, at that age — he's a rare genius. I'd wager you could only find someone like him among the Core Disciples of Greenwood Mountain."
"Exactly. Greenwood East Forest, Greenwood West Forest, Greenwood North Forest, and our Greenwood South Forest are the four orthodox subsidiary forces under Greenwood Mountain. But right now, East, West, and North — they're all flourishing. Within the entire Greenwood region, they're well-known and well-respected. What subsidiary force would dare disrespect them? Even the ancient and powerful clans treat them with reverence, almost as they would Greenwood Mountain itself."
"Yet we, who share the same roots and are just as orthodox a subsidiary force, have fallen not just one tier below the other three — even the non-orthodox subsidiary forces look down on us and don't give us a second glance."
"Here, in the Greenwood region, which should be ruled by Greenwood Mountain, we — a proper subsidiary force — have been reduced to third-rate status."
"The reason is simple: Greenwood South Forest is stuck in a poor location. Although we have numbers, we have too few powerful clans and even fewer outstanding talents. We've never been able to send quality recruits up to Greenwood Mountain, and so our status has only declined with each passing year."
"But that Chu Feng is definitely a rare genius. Even sent to Greenwood Mountain, he'd be considered exceptional. With the boldness he showed, he might even make a real name for himself up there. How could our Greenwood South Forest let such a person slip through our fingers? We absolutely must nurture him properly."
"When you put it that way, it actually makes sense. So this kid — who supposedly has no backing and came all the way from the Southern Seas — is really going to become the king of Greenwood South Forest?" The crowd of onlookers buzzed with speculation, all manner of theories flying, but the more they guessed, the more worked up they became. They were starting to look at Chu Feng in an entirely different light.
After hearing the crowd's discussion, however, the faces of those who had come from the Southern Seas turned rather unpleasant. Earlier, in order to save their own skins, they had claimed that Chu Feng was lying — even Shen Hong, whom Chu Feng had personally rescued, had done the same. Not only had they twisted the truth, they had piled on when he was already in trouble. It was a thoroughly despicable thing to do.
If Chu Feng truly was going to become the hope of Greenwood South Forest's rise, the focus of their most intensive cultivation — that was no small matter. And after recalling what Chu Feng was capable of, they were consumed with worry.
Worried that Chu Feng, angered by their failure to come clean and their willingness to side with the Han Family, would turn his wrath upon them.
And so, an indescribable dread began to churn in their hearts, leaving them anxious to the point of breaking. Many were already trembling where they stood — thoroughly terrified.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
But just as the crowd was abuzz with discussion, a violent gale suddenly erupted from the direction of Greenwood South Forest's core area. The wind was so fierce that even the towering ancient trees swayed beneath it, and riding within that howling gale, several figures streaked forth, finally cutting off the path of Elder Gongsun and the others.
These people were also Elders, but every single one of them wore a grim expression, and they directed more than a trace of hostility toward Elder Gongsun and his group.
The man at their head in particular — his white brows were sharp as swords, his eyes piercing as a hawk's, and the chiseled lines of his face, his naturally severe features, gave him an innately menacing air.
Moreover, this man's cultivation was nothing to scoff at. Like Elder Gongsun, he was an Eighth-rank Martial King. Most notably, his hostile intent was displayed with crystal clarity — and this man was none other than the Han Family's pillar of support, Greenwood South Forest's Elder of Punishment, Han Qingyu.