Xu Lian's intentions were plain for everyone to see, but the outcome left him in an extremely awkward position.
There was no shortage of people present at Hero City, yet not a single one stood up for him.
"Didn't you all see Chu Feng hit me just now?"
"What? Are Hero City's rules nothing to you?" Xu Lian shouted loudly.
Yet the gathered members of Hero City showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Don't tell me you lot haven't even read Hero City's code of laws?" Xu Lian grew even more furious.
But the crowd remained silent, heads bowed, offering Xu Lian no response at all.
Members of Hero City were not to be provoked by outsiders — that was Hero City's rule, and even outsiders knew it. How could the people of Hero City themselves not know?
And just who was Chu Feng? He was not merely Hero Mingchao's lifesaver, but also the number one genius of the Hundred Refinements Realm.
In the future, his achievements would most likely surpass Hero Mingchao's, making him the overlord who ruled over the Hundred Refinements Realm for an era.
Who would want to offend someone like that?
In truth, many among the crowd were silently mocking Xu Lian, laughing at him for being brainless.
Everyone under heaven knew about the relationship between Chu Feng and Hero Mingchao. Yet here he was, a member of Hero City, daring to go against Chu Feng like this — he was practically begging for death.
"You treat the city rules like they're nothing? You're not fit to be members of Hero City!"
Xu Lian roared in a fit of rage so loud that his voice echoed all the way into the city itself.
Hearing Xu Lian's shouts, even more members of Hero City were drawn over. But after learning what had transpired, still not a single person pointed their finger at Chu Feng.
The only ones targeting Chu Feng were Xu Lian and his sister.
"You lot… fine… you've done well. Truly loyal friends, every last one of you."
By now, Xu Lian's face had turned green.
He had thought that with the right prodding, he could stir up the crowd's outrage and have everyone turn against Chu Feng. But the current situation was making him feel utterly humiliated.
"City Lord! Is the City Lord here?"
"Someone is bullying a subordinate — will the City Lord not stand up for me?"
In desperation, Xu Lian actually began calling out loudly, summoning Hero Mingchao directly.
"Has Xu Lian lost his mind? He's asking Hero Mingchao to seek justice for him?"
Some were shocked, because everyone knew that Chu Feng was Hero Mingchao's lifesaver.
It might have been somewhat understandable for Xu Lian to try to rally the other members of Hero City against Chu Feng. But expecting Hero Mingchao to help him — that was pure fantasy.
"That might not be so certain," however, someone chimed in with a dissenting opinion.
"Would Hero Mingchao actually side with Xu Lian against Chu Feng?" someone asked.
"Hero Mingchao may have disappeared for a thousand years, but I'm sure you've all heard what kind of man he is."
"Hero Mingchao has always valued brotherhood above all else. And Hero City was able to stand firm precisely because of its strict rules and the bonds of brotherhood that everyone aspired to."
"Even if Hero Mingchao is grateful to Chu Feng for saving his life, if he wants to make a comeback, he absolutely cannot tear down his own reputation."
"Don't forget — the reason Hero Mingchao earned such immense prestige in the Hundred Refinements Realm is precisely because he always meant what he said and followed through on his word." That person continued.
"Now that you put it that way, there's real logic to it."
At that moment, people's resolve began to waver. After all, if Hero Mingchao wanted to preserve his prestige, even if he didn't go so far as to hurt Chu Feng, he would at least have to speak in Xu Lian's favor on this matter.
Otherwise, he would lose his authority. And for a man who cared so deeply about his reputation, that was something he could not tolerate.
Once the crowd realized this, they couldn't help but admire Xu Lian's cunning.
So it turned out Xu Lian wasn't brainless after all — quite the opposite. He was extremely clever.
The fact that Xu Lian dared to challenge Chu Feng like this meant he had clearly thought this through beforehand. He figured that out of sentiment, Hero Mingchao would certainly side with him.
Otherwise, he had no reason to tear off the mask and openly confront Chu Feng.
"Silence!"
It was at that moment that a furious roar suddenly exploded through the air.
The voice was so deafening that both sky and earth trembled. The bustling crowd outside the city was instantly rendered as quiet as a graveyard.