Chapter 159

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Chapter 159: Let Me See Who Dares to Touch You

Putuo Mountain is a relatively famous scenic spot within Jing-Hang City.

A Putuo Temple was built in the mountain. It is said that making a wish there is very effective, so many visitors come specifically to burn incense and worship Buddha at the temple, hoping for peace and safety.

Around seven o’clock in the morning, Lin Feng arrived at the foot of Putuo Mountain.

At that moment, more than twenty martial artists had already gathered at the base of the mountain. They were divided into four teams, each led by at least one martial artist at the sixth or seventh level of the Xiantian Stage.

Niu Ben, Lin Feihai, Grandmother Jinhua, Liu Neng, and Yin Ziyue were among them. Their team was considered the strongest of the four.

Seeing Lin Feng arrive alone, many of the martial artists present showed looks of surprise. Had this kid really come by himself?

Niu Ben and Lin Feihai regarded Lin Feng with cold expressions. Ever since yesterday’s incidents, the relationship between them had completely broken down, so there was no need for conversation now. Yin Ziyue’s eyes lit up briefly, as if she wanted to wave a greeting, but then, remembering what had happened the night before, she pursed her lips in annoyance and lowered her hand.

Lin Feng ignored everyone else’s stares, finding a spot at random to sit cross-legged. Because spiritual veins are often hidden within mountains or underground and are difficult to detect with one’s divine sense alone, he planned to tag along with the main group, see how things unfolded, and then decide how to act.

Right then, another team approached quickly from not far away. Leading it was an old man with white hair but a youthful face and a sharp gaze. His aura seemed unfathomable, and he had apparently reached the eighth level of the Xiantian Stage.

Upon his arrival, the many martial artists already there all hesitated briefly but then stepped forward one by one, smiling in greeting. However, the old man’s demeanor was very aloof, and he hardly acknowledged anyone.

“Nangong Shenhua—so that old fellow showed up too!” Niu Ben said gravely, a bad feeling welling up inside him. Their team’s top expert was Grandmother Jinhua, who was only at the seventh level, while Nangong Shenhua had broken through to the eighth. If a conflict arose over the spirit stone mine, the weaker side would be at a huge disadvantage.

“This news about a spirit stone mine has spread everywhere in Jing-Hang City,” Lin Feihai added quietly. “Since the Nangong family is one of the top martial arts households there, of course they would come. I just didn’t expect Nangong Shenhua to appear in person! Let’s do our best not to cross him… That old man doesn’t forgive anyone and is tough to deal with!”

Niu Ben nodded. But at that moment, Nangong Shenhua turned to Niu Ben as if surprised. “Niu Ben? Didn’t you go off to serve as an elder in the Baiyun Chamber of Commerce? I wouldn’t have expected to see you here.”

Before Niu Ben could respond, Nangong Shenhua sneered. “Oh, I get it! You’re still tagging along with Lin Feihai! You two are as close as ever, aren’t you? I remember ten or so years ago, you two were always causing trouble together, haha…”

“Nangong Shenhua, what are you implying?” Lin Feihai stood up. He had no desire to provoke Nangong Shenhua, but that didn’t mean he would just allow a public humiliation. That comment had hit his bottom line. If he didn’t react, what would that say about the Lin family?

“What do I mean? Did I say something wrong?” Nangong Shenhua replied coolly.

“You—” Lin Feihai’s face darkened, and he wanted to say more, but Niu Ben stopped him.

“Coward,” Nangong Shenhua snorted. The martial artists he had brought with him also began mocking and deriding the Lin family. Lin Feihai gripped his fists, his expression intensely grim, but in the end, he held back so he wouldn’t bring trouble on everyone else through impulsiveness.

Seeing this, the other martial artists present all had complicated looks. They had long heard there was friction between the Nangong and Lin families, and now it seemed the rumors were true. In the past, when Lin Feiyang of the Lin family had been alive and had reached the ninth level of the Xiantian Stage, they wouldn’t have feared the Nangong family. But Lin Feiyang had tried to break through to the Martial Dao Grandmaster realm and failed, dying in a frenzy. From then on, the Lin family had gradually declined.

Nangong family? Lin Feng mused inwardly. He recalled that he had killed two people before—a Nangong Wenti and a Nangong Xun. Could they have been this old man’s descendants?

…

Just then, two more teams came hurrying over. The lead figure in one of them was a middle-aged man in a green robe. Though not at the highest level, he still occupied the seventh level of the Xiantian Stage. From the crowd’s whispers, Lin Feng learned that he was Zhang Quan from the Zhang family of Jing-Hang City, which was also a considerable force there.

Leading the other team was a black-clad man in his thirties named Wang Shuo, who had only reached the fifth level of the Houtian Stage. Nevertheless, several Xiantian Stage experts stood behind him, making them a formidable group.

“Well, if it isn’t Grandpa Shenhua! I didn’t expect you’d arrive so early!” Wang Shuo scanned the scene, and when he spotted Nangong Shenhua, his eyes lit up. He went up to greet him with a smile.

“Shuo’er! Why didn’t your father come? He let you come instead?” Nangong Shenhua asked, smiling. His attitude toward Wang Shuo was obviously far warmer than toward anyone else.

“My uncle was killed in Yunchuan. My father went there to investigate,” Wang Shuo said.

“Wang Ming was killed in Yunchuan?” Nangong Shenhua furrowed his brow.

“That’s right! Not long ago, rumors of an ‘immortal’s tomb’ emerged in Yunchuan. My uncle went with a few friends, but they never returned. By the time we found him, he was already a cold corpse! He died a horrible death—stabbed one hundred thirty-seven times, none of them in a vital spot. In the end, they even cut off his… second brother.”

Wang Shuo’s expression grew exceptionally dark as he spoke. This was the highest provocation to his family, and they had to find the culprit and execute them slowly, piece by piece.

Hearing this news, the surrounding martial artists began to whisper among themselves. “That explains why Wang Ming hasn’t been seen in any of the big clubs around Jing-Hang City recently—he was already dead!” “Getting stabbed over a hundred times… that’s awful!” “I heard Wang Ming was a twisted person who often wiped out entire families and dishonored their wives and daughters… it’s no surprise he finally reaped what he sowed.”

That last remark was barely audible, yet a fourth-level Xiantian Stage expert behind Wang Shuo still heard it. “You! Get out here! How dare you insult someone from the Wang family!” roared Wang Donglai—Fifth Elder of the Wang family—turning his icy glare on Liu Neng.

Liu Neng’s face stiffened. He had clearly spoken very softly—how had the other side heard him? “You must have the wrong person, brother. I didn’t say anything!” he protested.

“Wrong? My hearing technique is at a masterly level. Even a mosquito flapping its wings a hundred meters away is as loud to me as a thunderclap. And you dared speak ill of the Wang family, insulting one of our dead right in front of me?” Wang Donglai’s tone dripped with murderous intent.

At his words, Liu Neng turned deathly pale. A hearing technique? The Wang family actually had someone practicing what he had considered a useless skill?

“Kneel, cut off an arm, and I might spare your life,” Wang Donglai said coldly. “Otherwise, you won’t leave Jing-Hang City alive today!”

Liu Neng’s face drained of color, and he looked helplessly at Niu Ben and Lin Feihai, seeking their support. Inwardly, Niu Ben was cursing him for being so loose-tongued, but he still answered with a smile, “Liu Neng only spoke rashly for a moment. There’s no need to go that far, right? How about I have him apologize?”

“Apologize? Are you trying to be funny?” Wang Donglai was unmoved. “He must pay for his words!” Wang Shuo also spoke up, calm but menacing: “Get on your knees, cut off an arm. My patience runs thin, and the Lin family can’t protect you.”

Liu Neng heard this and trembled so hard his legs nearly gave way. Again he locked eyes with Niu Ben and Lin Feihai for help, but both remained silent. The Wang family and Nangong family were clearly allied; if they helped Liu Neng, they would inevitably offend Nangong Shenhua. They simply wouldn’t do it. Besides, Liu Neng was only at the third level of the Xiantian Stage, so casting him aside hardly mattered.

“You…” Liu Neng’s face filled with despair, realizing just how decisively his teammates had abandoned him. Was cutting off his arm to survive his only choice?

Just then, Lin Feng spoke in an even tone. “Liu Neng, come over here. I want to see who dares lay a hand on you.”