Hearing that voice, Chu Feng paid it no mind. With so many people here, not to mention elders, even some disciples were well into their white-haired years. Besides, that voice wasn't directed at him—who knew who was calling whom.
"Hey, I'm talking to you—can't you hear me? What are you even looking at? I mean the kid without the hat!" But the voice came again, drawing closer, and this time Chu Feng finally realized it really was aimed at him.
Chu Feng turned his head and looked toward the source. Sure enough, he saw an old man dressed in elder's robes walking toward him.
The elder had an unremarkable face, except for one distinctive feature—his nose was crooked. But at this moment, his eyes blazed with a fierce light as he stared intently at Chu Feng.
*This is bad—he's here to cause trouble.* Chu Feng cursed inwardly. His powers of observation were razor-sharp, and the elder's gaze was filled with hostility, as though they shared some deep-seated grudge. But Chu Feng was certain he had never seen this man before. This was definitely their first meeting.
Moreover, if the elder had something to say to Chu Feng, he could have called out directly to him. Instead, he had shouted at the top of his lungs—not at Chu Feng alone, but loud enough for everyone in the entire plaza to hear. He clearly wanted to draw all eyes to the scene.
And why would he do that? Chu Feng had already guessed—the elder was most likely trying to humiliate him.
Counting the days, Chu Feng had only just entered Greenwood Mountain's Core Area yesterday and become a Core Disciple. He shouldn't have made any enemies yet—so who would come looking for trouble, and using an elder at that?
Apart from the Star-Gazing Observatory and the Three Greenwood Forests, Chu Feng could hardly think of any other faction.
*Looks like life at Greenwood Mountain really isn't going to be easy.* As the crooked-nose elder drew near, Chu Feng sneered inwardly. It was only his second day here, and someone was already after him—what would the future hold?
"Are you deaf? When this old man calls you, should I have to shout twice?" The crooked-nose elder arrived before Chu Feng, glaring at him with wide eyes.
"Heh, Elder, your voice is rather loud. I did hear you—I just genuinely didn't know you were calling me." Chu Feng replied with a grin, perfectly composed and not showing a shred of respect.
"Insolent! Not only do you fail to bow upon seeing an elder, you dare speak to me this way? You are the most ill-mannered disciple I have ever encountered."
"What exactly is your name? Where do you come from? I would very much like to know which subsidiary faction sent such a worthless disciple as you." The elder bellowed in fury.
His repeated shouting had long drawn the attention of many. Those near Chu Feng stopped in their tracks and leaned in, eager to watch the spectacle.
"Reporting to the Elder—this disciple's name is Chu Feng. But I'm curious: Elder, you've surely never seen me before, so how do you know I was sent by a subsidiary faction? Couldn't I have entered the Core Area from the Inner Sect through the examination?" Chu Feng replied.
"At this..." At Chu Feng's words, the elder's expression shifted. He suddenly realized he had misspoken—especially with so many onlookers gathered now. Continuing to dwell on this point would only dig his hole deeper.
So he quickly changed tack, pointing at Chu Feng's head: "Regardless of where you come from, not wearing a Core Disciple's hat is a grave disrespect to Greenwood Mountain. Slap yourself ten times right now, then put on the hat—or I'll hand you over to the Punishment Department."
"Not wearing a hat means ten self-slaps? I don't recall seeing that rule in Greenwood Mountain's disciple regulations." At that moment, a voice rang out—both firm and gentle, yet remarkably pleasant to the ear.
Everyone looked up, and eyes lit up all around as a figure as ethereal as a celestial maiden descended from the sky and landed right beside Chu Feng. It was Bai Ruochen.
"And who might you be? Punishing disciples is an elder's prerogative. Outsiders had best not stir up trouble."
The crooked-nose elder seemed somewhat intimidated upon seeing Bai Ruochen. After all, Bai Ruochen's talent was extraordinary—her cultivation paired with her appearance gave off the immediate impression of a once-in-a-generation genius. Such a person, let alone ordinary disciples, was someone even most elders wouldn't dare cross.
"Outsiders?" At those words, Bai Ruochen let out a captivating smile dripping with sarcasm. Then she raised her hand and removed the hat from her head. As her silky, lustrous black hair cascaded down like a dark waterfall, she asked in a contemptuous tone: "Am I an outsider now?"
"You—" Though wary of Bai Ruochen's talent, the crooked-nose elder was also infuriated by her actions. Wasn't this essentially slapping him in the face in front of everyone?
So, to defend his dignity as an elder, he threw caution to the wind, glanced at the badge on Bai Ruochen's left arm, and sneered: "Ah, so you're all in the same group—no wonder you dare oppose me."
"Not wearing a hat calls for punishment. Both of you—slap yourselves ten times right now, or I'll send you to the Punishment Department and lock you up for a year or two. Let's see if you'll still be so bold."
"Well then, if not wearing a hat means ten self-slaps—shouldn't all of us slap ourselves ten times?"
But what the elder hadn't expected was that, the moment he finished speaking, yet another voice rang out. Looking up, thousands upon thousands of figures descended from the sky in a grand procession, landing upon the plaza and surrounding the elder completely.
What shocked everyone most was that not a single one of them wore a hat—and the hats were right in their hands, clearly just removed.
Upon realizing who these people were, forget the onlookers—even the elder's face went white and his eyes glazed over. These people belonged to the Wing Ascension Division, and their leader was none other than Long Chenyi, one of the Core Area's most prominent figures.
"The Wing Ascension Division? Long Chenyi!" At that moment, the crooked-nose elder's brow furrowed deeply.
What was the Wing Ascension Division? It was a colossal force ranked tenth in the Core Area, boasting tens of thousands of members. Most importantly, behind the Wing Ascension Division stood the powerful elders of the Wing Ascension Sect. Few dared to stand against them, and an elder of his stature certainly wouldn't dare provoke them.
"I may not know you, Elder, but since you know me—Long Chenyi—I suppose that makes us acquainted. Might you do me a favor and let my little brother here off the hook?"
Long Chenyi wore a smile, yet his bearing was neither servile nor arrogant. His attitude wasn't that of someone meeting the elder as an equal—it was more like he stood a tier above.