CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 449: PRINCELY HEIR

Elder Hai’s steps seemed extremely slow, yet his speed was inconceivably quick. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, Luotian finally realized what Luo Feng meant by an "expert." Looking in the direction where Elder Hai had disappeared, a chill inexplicably rose from the bottom of his heart.

"Such incredible speed! Feng Er, do you know this person?"

"I don’t."

Luo Feng shook his head, his brows tightly knit. He was still thinking about Elder Hai’s last words, wondering who he could have offended to make even a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert’s tone so grave.

After pondering for a moment without any clue, Luo Feng simply stopped thinking about it. He would deal with whatever came his way; there was no use worrying excessively now.

His gaze fell on the Mysterious Hard Wood box in his hand. Luo Feng thought for a moment, then said to Luotian, "Father, you should step back a bit."

Although he didn’t think a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert would resort to a sneak attack, it was always better to be cautious.

A flash of surprise appeared in Luotian’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Luo Feng to be so meticulous. He nodded and took several steps back.

Luo Feng took a shallow breath, and Gang Qi flowed from his palm, enveloping the Mysterious Hard Wood box as he opened the lid.

As soon as the box opened, Luo Feng immediately saw three fiery red pills lying inside.

Wisps of golden light drifted across the surface of the pills, like leaping flames. The potent Spiritual Energy was overwhelming, illuminating Luo Feng’s face with a crimson glow.

"This is..."

Luo Feng stared at the pills in the box, a warmth surging in his heart, his breath quickening.

"Fifth-grade pills, Red Gold Pills!"

Even with Luotian’s usual composure, upon seeing the pills in the Mysterious Hard Wood box, he couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

The shock in Luo Feng’s heart was no less than Luotian’s.

He hadn’t expected the "small gift" Elder Hai mentioned to be fifth-grade Red Gold Pills—and three of them at that!

"Red Gold Pills can temper the Meridian Wheels, laying the foundation for breaking through to the Spiritual Rotation Realm. Feng Er, these Red Gold Pills are perfect for you," Luotian said slowly, taking a deep breath.

Luo Feng nodded and closed the box. He looked in the direction where Elder Hai had disappeared, thinking to himself, Who on earth is this person, to casually produce three Red Gold Pills? And why would he give me such precious pills?

"Let me go! If you dare touch a single hair on my head, don’t even think about leaving here alive!"

Just as Luo Feng was speculating about Elder Hai’s identity, a sudden commotion arose from the direction of the large bridge, accompanied by a furious roar.

Luo Feng put away the Mysterious Hard Wood box and looked up.

From the direction of the bridge, Luo Xiao was striding over with a dozen Luo Family Martial Artists. In their midst, a young man was being held captive.

Luo Feng recognized the young man in the center; he was one of the two disciples from the Sky Sword Pavilion who had accompanied Duanmuya.

"Xiao Er, what happened?" Luotian walked over.

Luo Xiao strode closer and pointed to the captive youth. "Father, we caught this person on the mountainside just now. He was wearing Sky Sword Pavilion clothes, so we brought him back. We wanted to ask you how to deal with him."

Luo Xiao scratched his head and looked at the young man. "He also claims to be the Princely Heir of the Tiger Might Marquis and demanded we release him," he added.

"Young Master, you don’t actually believe his nonsense, do you? I think this guy is just a coward afraid of death. We should just kill him outright."

"That’s right. He was with several members of the Duanmu Family earlier. He’s probably no good either."

"Hey, sniff him! He stinks. I bet he peed his pants..."

The nearby Luo Family Martial Artists jeered.

Hearing that he was to be killed, the young man’s face turned pale. He struggled fiercely, his face flushed as he yelled, "You dare! I am the Princely Heir of the Tiger Might Marquis! Do you dare kill me?"

"Tiger Might Marquis?"

Luotian’s brow furrowed slightly. He looked at the young man and asked, "Are you truly the Princely Heir of the Tiger Might Marquis?"

"Yes!"

The young man’s gaze fell on Luotian. He gritted his teeth and said, "I am Chen Qi, son of Chen Yun Hu, the Tiger Might Marquis! Now, hurry up and release me!"

Luotian waved his hand, motioning for Chen Qi to be released, and asked, "Do you have any proof?"

Chen Qi shook his arm, now free, and swept a cold glare over the surrounding people. He then took out a crimson token and, tilting his head back haughtily, declared, "This is the Tiger Might Order! Surely you recognize it."

Luotian took the token and glanced at it.

Engraved on the token was a ferocious, glaring tiger wreathed in flames, exuding a powerful aura. He nodded. "Indeed, this is the Tiger Might Order."

The Tiger Might Order... A thought struck Luo Feng.

He had heard of the Tiger Might Marquis. One of the six great marquises of the Canglang Dynasty, the Marquis was immensely powerful and a Spiritual Rotation Realm master. He had once slain a sixth-level Demon Beast, the Fire Cloud Winged Tiger, with his bare hands, thereby earning his title and a fearsome reputation.

"So, it is Princely Heir Chen. My apologies for any offense."

Luotian waved his hand, indicating for his men to fully release Chen Qi, and returned the token.

Seeing Luotian being so courteous, Chen Qi felt a surge of smugness. Holding the token, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back and snorted, "City Master Luo, your Luo Family men subjected me to all sorts of humiliation just now. Their crimes are deserving of death. Do you think a simple apology will suffice?"

As he spoke, Chen Qi glanced coldly at Luo Xiao and the others with an air of superiority.

Luo Xiao and the surrounding Luo Family Martial Artists had grim expressions, but they forcibly restrained their anger.

"Princely Heir Chen, what do you propose then?"

Luotian, not expecting Chen Qi to be so ungrateful, frowned, his voice turning somewhat cold.

Chen Qi flicked the Tiger Might Order in his hand, his gaze sweeping over Luo Xiao and the others. He smiled. "It’s possible for me not to pursue today’s matter. Just inventory all the treasures of the Duanmu Family and hand them all over to me. Then, I’ll pretend today never happened."

"What! Hand all the treasures over to you?"

The surrounding Luo Family Martial Artists all stared wide-eyed, their gazes fixed on Chen Qi with towering rage.

"Chen Qi, don’t push your luck!"

Luo Xiao’s face was dark as he glared at Chen Qi.

Facing Luo Xiao’s somber gaze, Chen Qi instinctively shrank his neck. However, recalling Luotian’s earlier polite attitude, he composed himself. Flicking the Tiger Might Order in his hand, a cold grin appeared on his face as he said, "Brat, who do you think you are, daring to address me directly by name! For the humiliation you all put me through, dying ten times wouldn’t be enough. You should be thanking me for my immense generosity in letting you trade a little wealth for your worthless lives!"

The Duanmu Family was one of the six great families of the Flowing Cloud Region; their accumulated wealth was astonishing. Chen Qi had already decided to claim all of it for himself.

He was confident that his father, the Tiger Might Marquis’s, reputation was more than enough to intimidate these people.

"Oh? Thanking you for your immense generosity?"

A calm voice sounded as Luo Feng strode over from the side.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, all eyes focused on Luo Feng.

In the distance, Hu Yitian, He Qin, and the others also noticed the commotion.

Hu Yitian licked his lips at the sight of Luo Feng’s calm expression. He laughed, "Looks like there’s another good show to watch. He Qin, do you think this guy Chen Qi is insane? Daring to say such things in front of Luo Feng."

He Qin pursed her red lips. Looking at Luo Feng, a rare smile appeared on her usually cold and stunningly beautiful face. "Perhaps," she said.

THUMP THUMP THUMP...

Seeing Luo Feng step forward, Chen Qi’s face turned white with fear. He staggered back several steps, then abruptly raised the Tiger Might Order in his hand and stammered, "Luo Feng, you—you dare! Do you know what this is?"

Luo Feng sneered and, with a wave of his hand, snatched the Tiger Might Order.

As everyone watched intently, Gang Qi emanated from Luo Feng’s left hand as he tightened his grip.

CRACK CRACK...

A series of crisp sounds echoed as the Tiger Might Order was crushed inch by inch, turning into a shower of tiny golden fragments.

Chen Qi stood nearby, his scalp tingling with terror.

That Tiger Might Order was crafted from Mysterious Rock Gold Crystal and was extremely durable. He himself had once struck it with a precious sword at full strength but failed to leave even a scratch. Yet, Luo Feng had crushed it to pieces! What terrifying strength!

"You tell me, what is this?"

Luo Feng, having reduced the Tiger Might Order to dust, fixed his icy gaze on Chen Qi.

At Luo Feng’s gaze, Chen Qi’s eyes filled with terror. He stumbled backward and fell to the ground, stammering, "Luo Feng, I’ll leave Green Wood Peak right away!"

Luo Feng took a step closer, blocking Chen Qi’s path. A chill emanated from him as he said coldly, "You wanted the Duanmu Family’s wealth, didn’t you? Why are you leaving so suddenly? You’re not going to run to your father and complain, are you?"

"I don’t want it anymore! I don’t want anything! I’m sorry, I was blinded by greed, I deserve to die! My father, the Tiger Might Marquis, values his reputation above all else. If he finds out about today, I’m doomed! Why would I seek my own destruction? Please, I beg you, don’t kill me! I’ll get out of here right now!" Faced with Luo Feng, Chen Qi was truly terrified, babbling incoherently as he pleaded for his life.

"Hey, does anyone else smell that?" a Luo Family Martial Artist suddenly asked, wrinkling his nose.

Hearing this, everyone looked at Chen Qi.

There was a fresh, dark wet patch on the hem of Chen Qi’s robes, and a small puddle was forming on the ground beneath him.

"HA HA... The brat actually got scared pissed by the Young Master!"

"So this is the Princely Heir of the Tiger Might Marquis... PSHH!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the onlookers.

He Qin and the other young women blushed crimson and quickly averted their gazes.

Luo Feng shook his head. The Tiger Might Marquis had once been hunted by nearly a hundred Demon Sect experts. He later single-handedly slew dozens of them, scaring off the rest. His reputation awed the dynasty. To think his son, Chen Qi, would be so disgraceful.

"Get lost!" Luo Feng said, waving his hand dismissively, having lost all interest.

Hearing this, Chen Qi froze for a second. Then, he scrambled to his feet, hitched up his robes, and bolted down the mountain without a backward glance.

"Second Brother, why didn’t you just kill him?" Luo Xiao asked, watching Chen Qi’s rapidly retreating figure.

Luo Feng shook his head. "He is, after all, the son of the Tiger Might Marquis. Humiliating him a little, the Tiger Might Marquis probably won’t pursue the matter. But if we killed him, it’s hard to guarantee the Tiger Might Marquis wouldn’t be enraged. The Tiger Might Marquis’s power is far beyond what the Duanmu Family could compare to. We have no real enmity with him; there’s no need to go that far."

"Feng Er is correct."

Luotian walked over and said to Luo Xiao, "Let’s put Chen Qi aside for now. Xiao Er, take your men and immediately seize the Duanmu Family’s wealth. News of the Duanmu Family’s destruction will spread quickly. We must leave here as soon as possible. There are more than just one or two groups eyeing the Duanmu Family’s fortune."

"Alright." Luo Xiao knew there was no time to delay. He nodded and immediately led his men to begin confiscating the assets.

Subsequently, chest after chest of treasure was continuously moved out from the Duanmu Family residence and piled up in the plaza.

「Nightfall arrived quickly.」

Luo Feng didn’t enter the Duanmu residence. Instead, after bidding farewell to the others, he walked off, planning to use the night to digest the gains from the day’s battles.

Green Wood Peak at night was shrouded in mist, dyed a jade hue by the moonlight. The silhouettes of trees, faintly discernible within the mist, evoked a unique charm.

Luo Feng found a scenic cliff and sat down cross-legged. Just as he was about to begin cultivating, the faint sound of footsteps suddenly reached him.

"Who’s there?"

Luo Feng sprang up from the ground, his sharp gaze piercing the darkness behind him.