The discord between the Three Houses was something Chu Feng had long heard about. The enmity between the Heavenly Dao House and the Hell House, in particular, ran especially deep.
Seeing it for himself today confirmed the rumors. Otherwise, Chu Feng could think of no reason why three grown men would stand by and watch a child face death, hurling mockery all the while.
Though they might choose not to save him, Chu Feng absolutely could not stand by and do nothing. The world was unfair in countless ways, but there were three kinds of people Chu Feng refused to see bullied: those too powerless to fight back, women, and children.
Seeing the boy's situation grow critical, Chu Feng casually reached out and snapped a branch from a nearby tree. With a flick of his palm, he broke it into ten segments, then flung them forward in a single motion. Ten streaks of cold light flashed past in an instant. The next moment, ten arcs of blood sprayed into the air.
The ten Fierce Beasts that had been swarming the boy collapsed to the ground simultaneously. Though their fangs and claws still bared and their eyes still blazed with menace, they had already drawn their last breaths.
"Phew…"
The boy slumped to the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. He had been certain disaster was upon him, yet in the blink of an eye all ten ferocious beasts had fallen before him. He couldn't quite process what had just happened.
"Whoever you are, what makes you so eager to meddle? Show yourself!"
It was the three disciples of the Heavenly Dao House who reacted first, casting their resentful gazes toward the direction from which Chu Feng stood.
"Meddling? Since when did saving someone's life count as meddling? Is that some rule of your Heavenly Dao House?" Chu Feng emerged at a leisurely pace from among the trees and regarded the three with a mocking smile. "What a fine Heavenly Dao House — 'uphold the Heavenly Dao, delight in helping others.' I've certainly learned something new today."
"How dare you slander our Heavenly Dao House! You must be tired of living!" Two of the three flew into a rage, drawing their Royal Weapons and moving to attack Chu Feng.
"Wait." The one in the center abruptly stopped the other two, then turned to Chu Feng with a genial smile. "Brother, I believe there's been a misunderstanding. How could we possibly stand by and watch someone die? We were merely trying to temper this young man. If he had truly been in danger, we would have stepped in without hesitation."
"Heh…" Chu Feng let out a soft laugh. He couldn't be bothered to engage with the sophistry of men like these.
"Brother, it seems you have quite the misunderstanding about us. Very well, then — we'll be taking our leave." Seeing Chu Feng's dismissive attitude, the man showed no sign of anger. He simply took hold of the other two and turned to walk away.
"Excuse me — was it you who saved me?" The boy had risen to his feet.
"What do you think?" Chu Feng replied with a warm smile.
"I think it was you." The boy grinned broadly. "Thank you for saving me! My name is Zhao Tuo, but you can call me Little Radish. That's what everyone calls me."
"Little Radish? Why do they call you that?" Chu Feng asked.
"They say I look like a radish." Little Radish pointed at his own head as he explained.
Chu Feng couldn't help but chuckle at that. Before, he might not have noticed, but now that the boy had pointed it out, he took a closer look — and sure enough, the boy's head really did resemble a small radish.
"Tell me, Little Radish — it's dangerous out here. What were you doing coming in here alone?"
"To tell you the truth, I didn't listen to my older brother and tried to cross this forest by myself. And now… well, I've gotten myself into trouble. I'm going to get scolded again, I just know it." Little Radish's face was full of fear.
Chu Feng could see that his fear wasn't about the Fierce Beasts — it was about his brother's reprimand.
"How about this — since I'm already helping, I'll see you through. Once we're on the other side, when your brother arrives, you can tell him you made it across on your own."
"Really?" The boy's face lit up with delight.
"Really." Chu Feng nodded with a smile.
"That's amazing! Thank you so much! Benefactor, what's your name? I'll definitely repay you someday!" the boy said.
"()"