"Little Ball, don't be rude to Brother Chu Feng."
A voice tinged with a trace of anger rang out. It was Ying Mingzhao.
"Big Brother, Chu Feng saved you, and I'm grateful to him for that. But gratitude aside, I do question his strength."
At this, Little Ball swept his gaze across the room and said, "I believe I'm not the only one here who questions Chu Feng's strength."
"We don't."
"Exactly. You can question Brother Chu Feng, but don't drag us into it."
Upon hearing this, the people present waved their hands in quick denial.
"Hmph. Whether that's true or not, you all know in your hearts," Little Ball said with a cold laugh.
"This junior is a newcomer to Hero City, and there's something I'm not sure whether I should say." At that moment, Li Haoyang suddenly spoke up.
"Out with it. Why beat around the bush?" Little Ball felt that Li Haoyang couldn't possibly have anything good to say, and a look of displeasure surfaced on his face.
"Brother Chu Feng, before you returned, the City Lord had already discussed with us the matter of appointing you as Hero City's Vice City Lord," Li Haoyang said to Chu Feng.
"Appoint me as Vice City Lord?" At these words, Chu Feng's expression shifted.
First, he believed his strength was not sufficient for the role of Vice City Lord.
Second, Chu Feng had never even considered joining Hero City, because he had sworn an oath to never join any faction again.
For this reason, he had turned down numerous invitations from various factions. So even though he helped Hero City, it was entirely out of goodwill — he had never once spoken of joining Hero City.
"And Senior Pi was Hero City's Vice City Lord back in the day. Now the City Lord wishes to hand that position to Brother Chu Feng. Surely Senior Pi is unwilling to accept that, which is why he's giving Brother Chu Feng a hard time," Li Haoyang continued.
"Uh..." At this moment, everyone fell silent. Even without Li Haoyang spelling it out, they all understood.
"It's not that I'm unwilling. I simply don't accept his appointment," Little Ball said.
"I, Ying Mingzhao, have always led by virtue. It was I who recommended Brother Chu Feng for Vice City Lord, but I did so with the approval of all our brothers. What exactly do you not accept?" Ying Mingzhao asked.
"Big Brother, it's not you I have an objection to. It's Chu Feng. If he were stronger than me, I'd say nothing. But he's nothing more than a Martial Ancestor — what qualifications does he have to hold the position of Vice City Lord?" Little Ball said.
Hearing this, the anger on Ying Mingzhao's face deepened further, and he was about to reprimand Little Ball.
"City Lord, this subordinate has an urgent matter to report."
But just then, a voice suddenly came from outside the hall doors.
"Enter." As Ying Mingzhao spoke, he waved his sleeve, and the hall doors — sealed shut by a barrier — swung open.
Once the doors opened, an elderly man could be seen half-kneeling outside.
This man possessed peak Martial Ancestor realm cultivation. Chu Feng recognized him — his name was Mo Xuwen, another veteran subordinate of Hero City.
Not long after Hero City was established, he had returned to the city, making him one of the very first old subordinates to come back.
"Xuwen, did you discover anything from your trip to the Zhou Heavenly Clan?" Ying Mingzhao asked.
No wonder he had let Mo Xuwen in so readily — he had dispatched him to gather intelligence on the Zhou Heavenly Clan.
"City Lord..." Mo Xuwen stepped into the hall and was about to speak, but then he suddenly caught sight of Chu Feng inside. His face lit up with joy. "Brother Chu Feng, so you've already returned!"
"Since Brother Chu Feng is here, then I assume you all already know about this?"
"Know about what?" Not only were the people inside the hall confused, but even Chu Feng was completely baffled.