Chapter 108: One Step, Frozen
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Qingxin Wine Tavern instantly became incredibly quiet.
The crowd's gazes all fell upon the girl's cheek, where a clear five-finger mark was visible.
No one had expected that Lin Feng's slap would actually land, mercilessly, without any hesitation.
This slap had not only struck the girl's face but had also, in a way, slapped Qingxin's face.
The crowd was stunned, and the girl was completely dazed. She slowly raised her hand, touching her smooth cheek, and immediately felt a searing pain.
She, bearing the surname Duan, was of royal blood, a body worth a thousand gold pieces, accustomed to having her way, with no one daring to provoke her. But today, Lin Feng had actually slapped her across the face.
Her originally beautiful eyes now blazed with fury, extremely cold, even appearing somewhat ferocious.
"You shouldn't have done that."
A voice broke the terrifying silence. It was Qingxin who spoke. Even though Lin Feng had effectively slapped her in the face with his actions, her demeanor remained elegant and noble, her voice still as gentle as ever, as if she were incapable of anger.
"You mean I should have let her humiliate me without fighting back?"
Lin Feng looked at Qingxin, his tone equally calm. But it was this very calmness that revealed a deep-seated arrogance and unruliness.
"Even if she had truly humiliated you, you shouldn't have retaliated. Moreover, she hadn't even succeeded."
Qingxin replied, which was undoubtedly an affirmative answer to Lin Feng's question. Even if she had humiliated him, he should not have fought back.
"I've disappointed you."
Lin Feng's tone carried a hint of coldness. This woman was too deep, appearing gentle and elegant on the surface, but in reality, she was proud and cold at heart. Lin Feng disliked her greatly.
"It's not a matter of my disappointment. The problem is that now, you can't salvage this. Just as you said, some things, once done, require paying a price."
"You're wrong." Lin Feng shook his head. "Not only wrong, but foolish. In the eyes of people like you, we are insignificant, can be humiliated at will, and even if humiliated, cannot fight back. So, even if I did nothing, what awaited me was humiliation. And since I acted, the consequences are merely more severe. In that case, why should I avoid doing it and wait for you to humiliate me?"
"Have you never considered that the price you pay might be something you can't afford?" Qingxin asked.
"I can guarantee that no matter what price I have to bear, at least before that price falls upon me, I can make her bear the price first."
Lin Feng glanced at the girl, his calm words causing another tremor in everyone's hearts.
Lin Feng's meaning was clear: if they wanted to deal with him, they should at least consider the girl's safety first.
A threat, a naked threat.
Even Qingxin, upon hearing Lin Feng's calm words, couldn't help but slightly contract her pupils. Was this really a sixteen-year-old youth? How could he be so calm and indifferent, as if he had everything under control?
"Are you threatening me?" The girl also understood Lin Feng's meaning, still holding her cheek, speaking coldly.
"You're not so stupid as to be beyond redemption; at least you can tell I'm threatening you."
Lin Feng's voice was filled with strong sarcasm. In his view, the girl's arrogance and domineering behavior were undoubtedly foolish. Even if your family background was outstanding, without sufficient personal strength, if you encountered a madman, you were simply seeking death. Not everyone feared death; some people valued their dignity more than their lives.
"Perhaps, after you know her identity, you won't be so calm." Qingxin spoke again, trying to see fear in Lin Feng's eyes. His excessive calmness for someone so young made her very uncomfortable.
"You can try."
"She bears the surname Duan." Qingxin's eyes were fixed on Lin Feng, eager to see something in his eyes.
At the same time, the girl also raised her head high, staring at Lin Feng, trying to find fear and inferiority in him.
Unfortunately, both Qingxin and the girl were destined to be disappointed. Lin Feng's eyes remained as calm and indifferent as ever, like still water, unruffled.
"Royal descendant?"
Lin Feng showed no sign of fear; instead, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Among the people at my table, there is also someone with the surname Duan. But he is much more humble than her. Even if born into royalty, without enough talent and strength to prove one's excellence, and only knowing how to bully others by relying on power, such a person can only be synonymous with the shame of the royal family, bringing disgrace upon it."
The girl's expression changed slightly. She had tried to see a humble look in Lin Feng's eyes to humiliate him, but instead, Lin Feng used harsh words to humiliate her.
As for Qingxin, she was also surprised. She looked up at the people behind Lin Feng and finally fixed her gaze on Meng Qing, who was veiled in light gauze. If one of these three bore the surname Duan, she would be more inclined to believe it was Meng Qing. Some people's temperament, even if they tried to hide it, could not be concealed.
Meng Qing possessed that kind of temperament, a holy temperament. Even Qingxin, after seeing her, seemed to lose a bit of confidence in her eyes.
Turning back, Qingxin shifted her gaze to the staircase on the third floor. There was a suspended pavilion there, a private room, which usually only she could enter.
But at this moment, a voice drifted out from inside.
"I haven't seen them."
A very simple sentence, yet it made everyone present tremble slightly.
I haven't seen them?
Lin Feng said that among the people behind him, one bore the surname Duan. Then a mysterious voice came from the pavilion, claiming not to have seen them. This sentence undoubtedly denied Lin Feng and the others' identities, and at the same time, proved the identity of the person in the pavilion. Only someone who had seen many members of the Duan family would utter such words.
"It seems the rumors are true. The owner of Qingxin Wine Tavern, Qingxin, is really his woman."
Someone thought to themselves, extremely surprised.
No wonder they were fortunate enough to hear Qingyin play today. It turned out he was inside; Qingyin was playing for him.
The proud girl, upon hearing these words, instantly retracted all the pride in her eyes. It was him!
In his presence, she was too insignificant, too trivial. He was like the bright moon, while she was merely a firefly.
Qingyin, upon hearing this, nodded slightly. Since he hadn't seen them, it meant they were unimportant.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Qingyin said to Lin Feng coldly, as if asking him to make his final remarks.
Lin Feng shook his head slightly.
"In that case, since you're causing trouble in my tavern, shouldn't I 'invite' you out?"
Qingyin emphasized the word "invite," as if deliberately stressing it. As her voice fell, two figures appeared beside her like ghosts, standing there quietly. Lin Feng felt a pressure bearing down on him.
These two figures had flashed down from the pavilion above, obviously brought by the person who had just spoken.
"Very strong. I'm no match." Lin Feng could tell from their movements alone the insurmountable gap in strength between them. He looked toward the pavilion, his eyes flickering. He knew he had likely encountered the person Duan Feng had told him about.
But Lin Feng was still guessing whether the person in the pavilion was the Crown Prince Wudao, the gentle Second Prince, or someone else.
"Who touched my daughter?"
Just then, a cold voice rang out. The entire Qingxin Wine Tavern trembled, and then figures leaped directly from below to the second floor, arriving behind the proud girl. These people all had deep, steady eyes, like mountains. Just standing there gave off a oppressive aura.
Footsteps came from the stairway. A middle-aged man strode forward like a dragon. He nodded slightly at Qingxin, then his gaze fell on the two people beside her. His pupils contracted slightly but instantly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
"Father." The proud girl called out, trying to move her feet, but suddenly found a freezing cold aura locking onto her, as if the slightest movement would cost her her life.
"What audacity." The middle-aged man who had stepped forward had a dignified and cold expression. He strode toward Lin Feng, and a surging pressure spread through the air.
The tavern became incredibly oppressive, as if it might collapse under this pressure at any moment. The people in the tavern all moved far away, dodging.
Centered on Lin Feng, the pressure grew stronger and stronger, making Lin Feng feel as if thousands of pounds of weight were pressing down on his body.
"Now, do you regret it?"
Qingxin's calm voice came. She longed to see a different emotion in Lin Feng's eyes, such as fear or regret.
"Some things are inherently helpless. Having done them, what is there to regret?"
Lin Feng smiled openly, a hint of boldness on his face.
"Drunk with wine, sing a song. Life, how short. If one cannot live with dignity, what meaning is there?"
Some things, even knowing they are wrong, must still be done.
"Even if you regret it, you have no chance."
The middle-aged man, seeing the mark on his daughter's face, was filled with cold murderous intent.
A killing aura spread, pressing down on Lin Feng.
"Drunk with wine, sing a song. Life, how short."
Meng Qing murmured softly, repeating Lin Feng's words, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Standing up, Meng Qing came behind Lin Feng. Raising her head, she saw the crowd all pressing toward Lin Feng. A glint of cold light flashed in her eyes.
"Just because you have numbers, you think you can bully Lin Feng?"
Meng Qing slowly uttered these words, and with a step forward, she moved in front of Lin Feng.
At that moment, an indescribably cold aura froze the space itself, so cold it was suffocating, so cold it made hearts feel like stopping.
"All of you, get lost."
As her words spread, a layer of ice began to condense in the air, spreading toward the crowd. In that instant, heaven and earth were frozen solid. Everyone's hearts trembled violently.