Chapter 259: Self-Cultivation
"Lin Feng!"
"It's Lin Feng, it's actually Lin Feng!"
With a thunderous roar, the crowd's hearts trembled violently. This Crimson Blood Commander was actually Lin Feng—the same Lin Feng who had first made a name for himself during the Yangzhou City martial arts tournament, only to be cast out by the Nalan family and the Lin family, driven from Yangzhou City.
Last year's Yangzhou City tournament had been witnessed by every prominent figure in the city, and those attending the banquet here now were all from Yangzhou's noble and wealthy families. Of course they recognized Lin Feng—that arrogant, handsome youth.
No one had imagined that the powerful Crimson Blood Commander, who had shocked Yangzhou City by wearing a bronze mask and leading tens of thousands of Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, was the same person as that elegant young man from before.
A dream—no one had ever dreamed of this.
Lin Feng—how old was he? Barely seventeen or eighteen. Yet he was the Crimson Blood Commander, the Crimson Blood Marquis, commanding a legion of ten thousand Crimson Blood soldiers. The crowd was utterly shaken, staring at Lin Feng with dry mouths and throats, wanting to speak but unable to form words.
Nalan Xiong's body trembled violently as well. Lin Feng—this Crimson Blood Commander was actually Lin Feng. His heart pounded without end.
The waste who had been expelled from the Lin family—now a regional lord? Nalan Xiong felt an unreal sensation, as if in a dream.
But the most shocked of all was Nalan Feng. The moment Lin Feng removed his mask, her heart shuddered violently. Then she bit her lip tightly, her face turning deathly pale, her eyes locked onto that arrogant, handsome face.
Last year's Yangzhou City tournament, she had believed she would be the absolute protagonist. In all of Yangzhou City, only Lin Qian could compare with her. But the result was far from what she had imagined. Bai Yuanhao appeared, Lin Feng descended from the heavens, stealing the glory that belonged to her. Yet even then, she still felt that Lin Feng was on the same level as her—that she could surpass him.
But now, Lin Feng stood before her again, in an absolutely shocking identity, seated atop his Crimson Blood warhorse, looking down on everything. With a single casual word, he had severed the arm of Dugu Xiao, the man she took pride in. Lin Feng hadn't even blinked. Perhaps to Lin Feng, Dugu Xiao wasn't worth mentioning at all—cutting off an arm was effortless, perfectly normal.
Dugu Xiao—what status did he have? Descendant of a high official. His arrival had made Nalan Feng feel extremely honored. The entire Yangzhou City praised her for it. Everyone admired her, respected her, Nalan Feng. Her family, the City Lord's Mansion, was proud of her. They had set up this banquet to honor her and Dugu Xiao, inviting all the influential figures of Yangzhou City.
She, Nalan Feng, had been basking in the radiance of glory, unable to extricate herself, preparing to shine on the upcoming Yangzhou City tournament stage.
But all of that had turned to dust with the arrival of this iron-blooded legion—or rather, it had been annihilated entirely by Lin Feng's arrival. Lin Feng, with effortless ease, had destroyed her pride, destroyed everything.
She and Lin Feng—she couldn't even compare. She was far from qualified to stand on the same level as Lin Feng.
The calmest person at this moment was actually Dugu Xiao, whose arm Lin Feng had severed. Because when Lin Feng said he had slapped Dugu Shang and made him kneel, Dugu Xiao had already guessed Lin Feng's identity—though he had never seen Lin Feng before.
Staring at this youth even younger and more handsome than himself, Dugu Xiao's gaze was dark and sinister. Lin Feng had not only destroyed his pride but also severed his arm. His future cultivation and talent would be greatly diminished.
The gazes of the crowd fell one by one upon Lin Feng. Scanning the crowd with his eyes, a cold sneer formed in Lin Feng's heart.
This was the shock brought by strength and power. In the past, he had been an unknown youth. Though he had made a name on the tournament stage, without sufficient strength or a strong background, his talent was merely a curse. Nalan Xiong couldn't tolerate him, the Lin family couldn't accept him, and even the Gu and Wen families wished him dead.
With persistence and unwillingness, he had left Yangzhou City. And now, he had returned. He was still himself.
But now, he possessed true strength and commanded a powerful Crimson Blood Legion. Thus, he could look down on everyone, disdain all.
The humiliations he had suffered in Yangzhou City—he would reclaim them all.
"You—do you see clearly now?"
Lin Feng's voice was indifferent as he looked at Nalan Xiong and spoke softly.
This calm voice finally pulled the crowd back from their shock. Staring at Lin Feng, their eyes were incredibly complex, the shock in their hearts refusing to subside.
Lin Feng had returned. That youth from the tournament stage, who had left in humiliation—no one could have imagined that one day he would reappear in such a shocking scene, returning to Yangzhou City to trample everything underfoot.
Nalan Xiong's throat moved, as if a lump of saliva was stuck there. He didn't know what to say. Of course he saw clearly—more clearly than anyone.
Lin Feng was still as arrogant, still carrying that persistence and tenacity in his eyes. But in the past, his strength hadn't been enough to make a difference. Now, his depth was unfathomable. But to command the Crimson Blood Legion and become a regional lord with Yangzhou City as his fief—could Lin Feng's strength be weak? That was clearly impossible.
"What do you want to do?"
Nalan Xiong looked at Lin Feng, his voice carrying a hint of helpless sorrow. Today should have been a day of celebration, but with Lin Feng's arrival, everything had ended.
"What do I want to do to you?" Lin Feng sneered. "Last year, you, Nalan Xiong, became the City Lord of Yangzhou and held the city tournament. I, Lin Feng, participated and won the final victory. But at that time, the Lin family wanted to cleanse their ranks. As the host, you didn't stop the Lin family's actions. You tacitly approved, wanting my life. Because I defeated everyone, including your daughter, and stole her glory. So you wanted me dead."
"At that time, I said that the Yangzhou City tournament was a joke."
Lin Feng spoke slowly. "That so-called tournament was just a stage for you to let your daughter show off and throw her weight around. When I proved stronger than your daughter, you wanted me dead. And that year, your daughter Nalan Feng also sent assassins after me, just because I offended her. She believed herself a heavenly favored daughter—even contradicting her in a tavern was unacceptable. Contradiction meant death."
"And now, I've returned. If I were weaker than you, you would still want to kill me. But now, I am stronger than you. My fate is no longer threatened by you. On the contrary, your lives are in my hands."
Lin Feng's voice was arrogant, domineering, and ice-cold.
"So, everything you once gave me, I now return to you. Nalan Xiong, you—commit suicide."
"You—commit suicide."
These calm words carried an undeniable authority. The crowd's hearts trembled violently once more. Lin Feng was actually demanding that Nalan Xiong kill himself—that the City Lord of Yangzhou take his own life.
Back then, who could have imagined that the youth who had been driven away would now look down on Nalan Xiong and order him to commit suicide? Once upon a time, Nalan Xiong had sat in the viewing stand, looking down on Lin Feng.
"And if I choose not to?"
Nalan Xiong stared at Lin Feng, his voice low.
"You can choose not to. I don't have much time to play with you. You have only ten breaths to consider. If you don't answer, I'll take it as your choice not to. Now, begin."
Lin Feng's voice remained calm, without any fluctuation.
You can choose not to, but you only have ten breaths. How arrogant, how domineering.
"One."
"Two."
Lin Feng ignored the thoughts in the crowd's hearts, looking at Nalan Xiong and starting to count directly. Nalan Xiong's face turned deathly pale. He had never imagined that someone would force him to commit suicide and give him a choice. The question was—dared he choose not to?
If he chose not to, what would be the consequences? Nalan Xiong didn't dare to think, nor did he want to.
"Six!"
"Seven!"
In the blink of an eye, the ten breaths were almost up. Everyone's gaze fell upon Nalan Xiong.
"No, don't..." Nalan Feng looked at her father, shaking her head desperately. She now regretted her past willfulness. Just because Lin Feng had offended her, she had sent people to kill him. If that incident had never happened, perhaps today's outcome would have been different.
Her willfulness had come at such a painful price.
"Nine!"
"Hahaha..." A wild, arrogant laugh rang out. Nalan Xiong laughed freely, without restraint.
"Boom! Crack!"
A series of dull sounds echoed. The laughter continued, but blood seeped from the corners of Nalan Xiong's mouth.
"Father!"
Nalan Feng's face turned ashen. Her father had truly chosen to commit suicide. He didn't dare to gamble. The current Lin Feng was too sharp. He feared provoking Lin Feng's wrath!