Truth be told, if you calculated the days, the time for the execution of Qi Fengyang at the Qilin Prince's Manor hadn't arrived yet. If Chu Feng rode Little White to the Qilin Prince's Manor, he would still make it in time.
The reason Chu Feng was rushing so desperately was because his current destination wasn't the Qilin Prince's Manor, but the Hundred-Channel Gully. Chu Feng was determined to save Qi Fengyang, but he absolutely wouldn't go blindly to his death.
Under these circumstances, what Chu Feng thought of first wasn't charging single-handedly into the dragon's den, but rather seeking help from Qi Fengyang's old friend, the mysterious expert living in seclusion in the Hundred-Channel Gully.
"Young junior Chu Feng has matters to visit and pay respects to the senior, hoping the senior will grant me an audience!"
"Senior? Senior?! Are you there, Senior? I have important matters to discuss with you!!!" Chu Feng arrived at the peak of that mountain but didn't directly break through the barrier to enter. Instead, he stood upon the vast white clouds and bowed respectfully towards the palace within.
Because after the last incident and what he had learned from Qi Fengyang, Chu Feng felt certain that this mysterious expert living here was probably an eccentric person. For such people, one had to observe proper etiquette. One careless misstep could easily provoke their fury.
However, after calling out for a long time with no result, Chu Feng had no choice but to barge in. He bowed first, then said: "Senior, this junior truly has something to beg of you. Forgive my discourtesy."
As he spoke, Chu Feng broke through the barrier and arrived outside the palace in the clouds. At first, he called out a few more times. When that yielded nothing, he released his mental power.
To his astonishment, he discovered that this palace was protected by an incredibly powerful barrier. This barrier was too strong—it was not only difficult to break, but it even blocked mental energy.
"Senior, I don't know if you're truly here or not, but Senior Qi Fengyang is in grave danger and will be executed at the Qilin Prince's Manor in two days. I hope you will consider your past relationship and go save his life!" Unable to enter the palace, Chu Feng had no choice but to shout loudly, but he still received no response.
"Chu Feng, forget it. Stop begging him. Didn't Qi Fengyang say this person knows more about Qingzhou's affairs than anyone else? I believe you don't even need to inform him; he already knows about Qi Fengyang's situation."
"Regardless of whether he's inside right now or not, he definitely knows about Qi Fengyang. The fact that he chooses silence just proves he's a heartless man who won't risk exposing his own identity for Qi Fengyang's life," Egg-Egg persuaded resentfully.
At this moment, Chu Feng was in a difficult position. He didn't fail to understand this reasoning, but he still wanted to try, because at this moment, this mysterious expert was the only hope to save Qi Fengyang.
However, calculating the time, Chu Feng had to leave. Unwilling to give up completely, he left a letter at the entrance as he departed, once again begging this expert to go save Qi Fengyang's life.
In the end, Chu Feng returned empty-handed, having made this trip for nothing. Carrying this sense of loss, carrying this helplessness, Chu Feng resolutely headed towards the Qilin Prince's Manor, vowing to save his sworn brother, Qi Fengyang.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the day of Qi Fengyang's execution arrived. On this day, at the execution ground outside the Qilin Prince's Manor, figures from various cities, various forces, and various sects throughout Qingzhou had gathered.
Almost everyone of note in Qingzhou had come; none wanted to miss the moment when a figure as renowned as Qi Fengyang met his end.
Outside the vast execution ground, the crowd was dense as mountains and seas. Qi Fengyang himself was bound from head to toe with special chains, his mouth sealed tightly shut. He was covered in wounds, his aura feeble, lying prone on the fourteen-meter-high execution platform. Above him hung a massive, sharp guillotine blade; Qi Fengyang was about to be cut in two by this blade.
"Alas, such a fine figure, to die like this is truly a pity."
"Yes, Qingzhou finally produced another Heaven Martial realm expert, and he dies just like that."
"There's nothing to pity. He brought this upon himself. If he had succeeded in killing the Manor Lord, wouldn't that have been even more regrettable? No matter how strong Qi Fengyang is, he can't be stronger than the Manor Lord, right?"
At this moment, some felt pity for Qi Fengyang, while others thought his death was deserved. But while everyone was rushing towards the execution platform, Chu Feng had already secretly infiltrated the inner grounds of the Qilin Prince's Manor.
The Manor Lord of the Qilin Prince's Manor was a member of the Lin clan, named Lin Moli. It was precisely because of this special circumstance that he could not tolerate another Heaven Martial realm expert in Qi Fengyang, as it directly threatened his position as Manor Lord.
But for Chu Feng, this wasn't the main point. The main point was that Lin Moli had a son, his only son, whom he doted on immensely.
However, tragically, his son was useless. Not only was his martial cultivation aptitude abysmal, but he also spent his days indulging in lust, making him the most worthless member of the younger generation in the Qilin Prince's Manor.
"My beauty, you're so beautiful. You're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. Be good, don't struggle. I'll take you as my wife, bestow wealth and honor upon you, grant you endless resources, and make you a martial cultivation expert."
"No, my lord, please spare me, spare me! I don't want wealth and honor, I don't want endless resources, I don't want to become a martial expert. I just want to go home!"
Inside a lavish palace chamber, on a large bed, a beautiful young woman was curled up in a corner, trembling and weeping.
At the other end of the bed sat a slovenly dressed, obese young man, glaring at the girl like a wolf eyeing a sheep, drooling at his prey. This was none other than Lin Moli's son, Lin Chong.
"Bitch, don't be so ungrateful. If you don't submit to me, believe me when I say I'll kill your entire family? Then throw you into the barracks and have the guards of my Qilin Prince's Manor take turns on you until they screw you to death?" Seeing that soft tactics weren't working, Lin Chong's expression changed, and he switched to threats.
"No! Please don't hurt my family!!" As expected, hearing Lin Chong's words, the terrified girl fell to her knees and begged for mercy.
"Hmph. Then be a good girl and don't move. Cooperate. The thing I hate most is women who don't cooperate. Those who didn't cooperate with me... I fed them all to my pet."
As he spoke, Lin Chong pointed towards a corner of the room. There, a ferocious-looking fierce beast with blood-red eyes was chained. The beast was currently eating something; looking closely, it was actually a person.
Lin Chong wasn't lying. He had indeed fed all the uncooperative women to this beast. But he didn't tell the girl that even those women who *had* cooperated with him were also all fed to this same creature.
"I'll listen to you, I'll do whatever you say." The girl was utterly terrified. Still crying, she nodded and began to remove her own clothing, preparing to submit to Lin Chong's desires.
"Urrggh—"
But just as Lin Chong was about to enjoy the beauty before him, the fierce beast he doted on suddenly let out a tragic scream.
Looking back, Lin Chong's face changed drastically. His beloved pet had already been reduced to a pile of mush. Beside that mush stood a young man wearing a wicked smile.
"Insolent! Who are you? How dare you hurt my pet!" Enraged, Lin Chong stood up, intending to call for help.
"Swish." But in that instant, Chu Feng appeared before Lin Chong like a specter. He covered Lin Chong's mouth with his hand and slammed him fiercely onto the bed, grinning eerily: "Shh, don't make a noise. I'm taking you to play something exciting."