Chapter Fourteen: Who Else Should I Tread Upon, If Not You? (2)

“What are you all standing around for? Get him!”

The young master felt a strange discomfort and suffocation. Raising his head, he saw Jiang Feng staring straight at him. In that instant, he understood the source of all these bizarre occurrences and the disobedience of his subordinates—it was this uncanny young man standing not far ahead. Humiliated and enraged, he barked out his orders.

There are some people, pampered since birth, their skin delicate and unscarred, who have never known real hardship. These are the ones born with a silver spoon, living carefree lives, arrogant and willful, their recklessness the very reason they are so disposable.

“Go on, kill him for me! Beat him to death! Hurry up! Beat him! Kill him!” the young master screamed, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse and almost deranged. It was clear he had lost his mind.

These men, in Jiu Yan Town, counted as formidable—at least nearly at the level of a Nether Warrior. Here, they could act with impunity. Yet the previous encounter had been too strange: the strongest among them had been taken down instantly, while the opponent remained unscathed.

But the worst part was that none of them had even seen how Jiang Feng struck. There seemed to be no way to counter him, as if he was utterly invulnerable.

They hesitated for a moment, wanting to retreat, but had no chance. Hearing their master’s frantic shouts, they snapped back to reality. With no other choice, they exchanged quick glances, made up their minds, and charged forward together. Their feet slammed against the ground as they howled, kicking up clouds of dust, trying to make a grand show of their attack.

The young master, seeing his men appear to risk their lives for him, allowed a sly smile to curl on his lips and stopped his shouting. He waited for an opportunity to escape, planning to use his men as a shield against Jiang Feng and slip away himself. Delighting in his own cunning and resourcefulness, he couldn’t help but relish his clever scheme.

Yet, not long after, he found himself unable to smile.

“Useless fools! Cowards! Trash! Worthless scum!” the young master cursed them silently, furious that they collapsed so quickly, failing to create even the slightest opening for escape.

In truth, his men had already decided: rush forward, take a few hits, and then play dead. It was better than being utterly crushed like their leader. This way, they could show loyalty without angering the young master, but also avoid a severe beating.

But things didn’t go as planned. Though they hoped to play dead, Jiang Feng wasn’t about to go easy on them. By the time he was done, the last of them had been thoroughly used as punching bags. As he prepared to leave, he noticed the idiotic young master standing there, gaping at him. In broad daylight, this fool dared to ogle the respectable Jiang Feng with such a strange look. Jiang Feng sighed inwardly—had all sense of shame vanished from the world? Granted, he was a catch—young, wealthy, and handsome—but that didn’t make him fair game for just anyone.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng felt a wave of dizziness and nausea.

Distracted, his grip tightened even more. The poor man being beaten grew increasingly aggrieved—he had hoped that the last blows would be gentler, but instead they became even more brutal. He told himself to endure it, to bear with it, to hang on...

By the time Jiang Feng stopped, the unfortunate fellow was already foaming at the mouth, breathing more out than in. Was he really that fragile? Jiang Feng wiped his hands, full of exasperation, and as soon as he thought of that idiotic young master, he strode forward with dragon-like steps. His figure blurred and, in a blink, he appeared before the young master, who hadn’t even had time to react before being slapped back and forth dozens of times.

Slapping someone wasn’t a job for the average person. It required strong wrists for each strike to land with force, and extraordinary muscle control. Jiang Feng reflected on this as he finished.

After the slaps, Jiang Feng flexed his hands and stretched his limbs, his joints cracking. The young master’s head lolled back and forth from inertia, his hair wild, his cheeks mottled with bruises.

With a sweep of his left leg, Jiang Feng tripped him. With a thud, the young master fell to the ground.

At this, the previously stunned crowd erupted into chatter.

“My God! Isn’t that Wang Li, the second son of the Wang family?”

“Yes, yes! I heard Wang Li’s subordinates are the Five Golden Guardians, all fifth-level Nether Martial experts. It’s only because of them that that brat could run roughshod over the town, bullying everyone without fear.”

“Are they really that tough? Or is that just an exaggeration? Five Golden Guardians? More like five soft eggs! They only pick on the weak and fear the strong—cowards!”

“Keep your voices down! Don’t you know the Wang family is notoriously vengeful? Do you want to die?”

“Exactly! I heard that someone once offended the Wangs, and his whole family disappeared without a trace. Alive or dead, no one ever saw them again. Some say they spotted his wife and daughter working for years as prostitutes in the Wang family’s brothel, the Spring Fragrance House!”

“That serious? We’d better be careful, then.”

…

Amidst the murmurs, a few remarks reached Jiang Feng’s ears. Piecing together what he’d heard, Jiang Feng quickly understood the situation. So, they recognized him—they were here to avenge the destruction of their herb garden.

Honestly, it hadn’t been intentional; it was just an accident. But these people probably had their eyes on his precious belongings, too. Jiang Feng sneered inwardly.

“Wang Li, young master of the Wang family, what brings you here?” Jiang Feng stepped forward, his foot pressing down on Wang Li’s head. The once handsome young man now looked utterly wretched.

“You bastard, let me go!”

“Let me go! Just wait until the Wang family gets their hands on you—you’ll regret this!”

“If you’ve got guts, wait till I get out—I’ll kill you!” Wang Li shouted, growing more vulgar and frenzied as Jiang Feng ignored him.

Jiang Feng, calloused from hearing such filth, stomped down hard once more.

“Had enough?”

“You know, I hate foul mouths the most. Of all the people here, yours is the worst. If I don’t step on you, who should I step on?”