Inside the Martial Arts Arena of Kaoshan Town, everything had gone utterly silent. The tension had reached its peak.
Because everyone could now see the dust rising in the distance, and they could hear the thundering of warhorses — the army of Purple-Gold City had arrived.
"Quickly, follow me to greet the City Lord!" Shopkeeper Lin bellowed, striding briskly toward the town entrance as though he had already assumed the role of administrator over the entire Kaoshan territory.
Seeing this, no one in the arena dared to linger. They hurried after him. If any of them had still harbored a shred of doubt about Shopkeeper Lin before, the sight of the Purple-Gold City army had swept those doubts away entirely. They now fully believed every word the man had said.
And despite
Though he didn't consider Purple-Gold City worth his time in the slightest, until he possessed absolute strength, he had no choice but to yield for the time being. At the very least, he couldn't afford to offend them for no reason.
"Chu Feng, your
"Suit yourself," Chu Feng shot him a glance, too lazy to waste breath on a petty man drunk on a scrap of power.
"Hmph. You'll get what's coming to you soon enough." Shopkeeper Lin let out a cold snort, the sinister smirk on his face growing ever more pronounced.
*Boom, boom, boom—*
Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, the rumbling grew louder and closer. Before long, through the clouds of dust, people could make out the imposing figures of the Purple-Gold City army.
Gazing upon those soldiers in gleaming armor, moving in perfect formation, nearly everyone was awestruck by the sheer presence of the force.
And at that moment, those who had grievances with the Chu Family harbored secret delight in their hearts. Surely the Chu Family was about to face disaster. Just recalling Chu Feng's arrogant behavior before, and then imagining what awaited him — they could barely contain their excitement.
Under the fixed stares of the crowd, the army of Purple-Gold City, led by
"We pay our respects to the City Lord!"
Shopkeeper Lin immediately dropped to his knees, and at the same time, nearly everyone present knelt down. Even the members of the Chu Family lowered themselves. Toward the supreme ruler of Purple-Gold City, none dared show the slightest disrespect — except for Chu Feng, who remained standing on his own two feet.
"How dare you, Chu Feng! The City Lord stands before you, and you still refuse to kneel!" Shopkeeper Lin pointed at Chu Feng and roared.
"A man's knees kneel only to gold beneath them. I, Chu Feng, kneel to no one under the heavens except my parents and benefactors. Why would I kneel to anyone else?"
Chu Feng directed these words straight at Chen Hui. There was not a trace of fear in his gaze — only steadfast composure. Because these were his truest convictions. Short of his parents and benefactors, even if it killed him, he would never kneel to another. This was a matter of dignity.
A person may yield, but there is always a line. And for Chu Feng, that line was this: beat him, curse him, do whatever you will — but he would never kneel.
The moment these words left Chu Feng's lips,
Shopkeeper Lin and his ilk, on the other hand, were overjoyed. They knew Chu Feng was bold, but they had never expected him to be *this* bold. This was practically a public slap in Chen Hui's face.
But just as everyone waited for the show to begin — wondering how Chen Hui would deal with Chu Feng — Chen Hui merely smiled faintly, leaped down from his horse, and walked toward Chu Feng.
At the same time, the several generals behind him all dismounted and followed Chen Hui toward Chu Feng.
"So you're Chu Feng?" Chen Hui regarded him with a smile, and there was a glint of genuine appreciation in his eyes.
"I am," Chu Feng replied, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Heroes truly do come from the young. To possess such bearing at your age is truly rare." Rather than taking offense at Chu Feng's attitude, Chen Hui smiled all the wider. Then he swept his gaze across the surrounding members of the Chu Family. "Which one is Chu Feng's father?"
"Reporting to the City Lord — I am Chu Yuan, Chu Feng's father. My boy is still young and speaks perhaps too directly. I humbly ask the City Lord to be lenient." Chu Yuan assumed Chen Hui meant to harm Chu Feng and hurried to plead on his behalf.
"Ah, Family Head Chu, what are you saying? Having such a son is your fortune — and the fortune of my Purple-Gold City as well. This boy must be cultivated with great care."
"Your Chu Family performed a meritorious service by discovering the dark iron ore vein. Therefore, I bestow upon your son Chu Feng one thousand Spirit Pearls, so that his cultivation may advance further. Let him bring honor to my Purple-Gold City within the Azure Dragon Sect."
"As for the dark iron ore vein, the Chu Family shall be responsible for its excavation. All proceeds from the mining need not be handed over to Purple-Gold City — they shall belong entirely to the Chu Family."
"Furthermore, from this day forward, the entire Kaoshan territory shall be under the management of the Chu Family. Anyone who dares disobey the Chu Family's orders is defying me, Chen Hui personally. I will deal with them according to the law and show no mercy."
Chen Hui's voice rang out with tremendous clarity, and in the surrounding silence, every word he spoke was seared into the ears of all present.
In that instant, apart from the people of Purple-Gold City, nearly everyone stood with mouths agape in utter shock. Not only Shopkeeper Lin and those who had been eagerly anticipating the Chu Family's humiliation — even Chu Yuan and the rest of the Chu Family were completely bewildered, at a total loss.
What was going on? The City Lord of Purple-Gold City, instead of punishing the Chu Family because of Chu Feng's attitude, had *rewarded* Chu Feng with one thousand Spirit Pearls — one thousand Spirit Pearls!
And that wasn't all. He had handed the dark iron ore vein over to the Chu Family to manage. The value of that vein far exceeded one thousand Spirit Pearls. If fully excavated, it would be worth tens of thousands of Spirit Pearls — an incalculable fortune.
Most importantly, he had placed the Chu Family in charge of the entire Kaoshan territory. What on earth was going on? If the Chu Family was to rule here, then what did that make of Shopkeeper Lin?
"City Lord, this... You... Didn't you previously say that the Kaoshan territory would be entrusted to my Mighty Tiger Escort Bureau for management?"
Sure enough, Shopkeeper Lin could no longer remain kneeling. He scrambled to his feet and approached Chen Hui on trembling legs, speaking in a meek and deferential voice.
Upon hearing this, Chen Hui's expression shifted. He regarded Shopkeeper Lin with an icily contemptuous gaze. "Your character is corrupt, and you are unworthy of serving me. Guards — confiscate this man's Purple-Gold token and drag him away for execution!"