Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 100: Crossing the Line

Jiang Feng returned to his residence, sat cross-legged on the bed, calmed his mind, and began cultivating.

Having been in a constant state of combat for the past few days, Jiang Feng vaguely sensed that the barrier of his third level of Body Refinement was weakening. He planned to stay in Baishan City temporarily, break through to the fourth level of Body Refinement in one go, and then leave.

If Jiang Feng was still confused about his future when he first transmigrated to Earth, then the many events of the past few days had only strengthened his belief in cultivation.

Although he didn’t know what level he could ultimately reach with the resources he currently possessed, the discovery of the Hundred-Fruit Tree, the appearance of the Qihuang Sect members and other ancient martial arts practitioners, and even the strange water monsters in Tianchi Lake, all made Jiang Feng realize that this world held many unknown secrets.

Others could cultivate, and so could he; it was just that he hadn’t found the best method yet and could only use the most basic means at the moment.

Regardless, the arduous path of cultivation that lay before Jiang Feng had unknowingly become much more complex and multifaceted.

About three hours later, Jiang Feng slowly opened his eyes. He heard footsteps approaching from afar, a scattered group of about thirty people heading directly towards the small inn where he was staying.

Soon, the innkeeper’s slightly panicked voice came from downstairs: “Brother Gou, is something wrong? Why did you bring so many people? If they’re looking for guests, my little inn can’t accommodate this many people.”

“Enough nonsense! We’re looking for someone. If you know what’s good for you, get the hell out of here. If you delay my business, I’ll kill you,” Brother Gou said irritably, and the footsteps pounded as they went upstairs.

Jiang Feng was taken aback. Although he had expected Brother Gou might not let the matter rest, he hadn’t expected Brother Gou to be so resourceful. His place was considered remote; most people wouldn’t even notice its existence, yet Brother Gou had still come knocking.

Jiang Feng didn’t wait for Brother Gou to knock; he simply pushed the door open and walked out.

The hotel wasn’t big, with only four rooms upstairs. Brother Gou was searching each room when he heard the door open. Instinctively, he turned his head and saw Jiang Feng, grinning maliciously.

“You were here after all,” Brother Gou said.

Jiang Feng smiled back, saying calmly, “You were looking for me.”

Brother Gou stared at Jiang Feng, saying sinisterly, “Kid, knowing I was looking for you, you didn’t even run far. You actually dared to come out on your own. You’ve got guts.”

“I’ve always had guts,” Jiang Feng said, not needing to prove anything to Brother Gou.

“Guts, huh? Then let’s see just how guts you have,” Brother Gou sneered.

Jiang Feng, too lazy to waste words, kicked him directly.

Brother Gou was even more surprised that Jiang Feng would attack first. He turned and ran away. Back at the restaurant, he had already witnessed Jiang Feng’s strangeness; after all, injuring someone with chopsticks wasn’t something everyone could do.

Brother Gou knew he had no chance against Jiang Feng in a one-on-one fight, but he had brought thirty men with him. Even if Jiang Feng was incredibly skilled, a sheer number of men would be enough to overwhelm him.

Jiang Feng wasn’t about to let him off so easily. The moment Brother Gou turned around, Jiang Feng kicked him in the backside. Brother Gou was sent flying forward, tumbling several times from the second floor to the first, landing bruised and battered, a mangled mess, howling in pain.

The men who had come with Brother Gou, seeing this turn of events, immediately turned on him, grabbing machetes and rushing up from downstairs. Jiang Feng, a cold smile playing on his lips, caught the first man’s machete as he reached him and swung it back at him.

The man was utterly powerless to retaliate, collapsing to the ground covered in blood after being hacked down. Seeing this, the others, instead of retreating, charged forward one after another.

Jiang Feng understood perfectly well that they intended to overwhelm him with their numbers, and he paid no heed. His machete flashed, each strike drawing a spray of blood.

Within two minutes, no one on the stairwell was left standing. Arms and legs were severed, and screams and groans filled the air. This was only because Jiang Feng had shown mercy; otherwise, these thirty men would have been thirty corpses.

Jiang Feng’s figure flashed, reaching the first floor and heading towards Brother Gou, who had rolled to the side.

Brother Gou had been badly injured in the fall, nearly losing his life. Seeing Jiang Feng’s ferocity, he was terrified, his face pale, eyes wide, and body trembling uncontrollably. For a moment, he even forgot to run away.

Jiang Feng held his machete horizontally to Brother Gou’s neck, and said calmly, “Tell me, am I brave enough?”

“Enough…” Brother Gou was about to say he was brave enough, but the words caught in his throat.

This wasn’t just brave enough, it was utterly too brave. He’d seen people take on several or even a dozen at once, but those were usually done at the cost of their lives, often resulting in serious injury.

But Jiang Feng, effortlessly, like chopping vegetables, had slaughtered thirty people without even breaking a sweat. Brother Gou had never seen or even heard of such a person before. Even Brother Xiong, who was invincible in the area, probably couldn’t do that.

“I’ve said it before, I’m brave enough,” Jiang Feng smiled slightly, slowly raising his arm.

Brother Gou’s scalp tingled instantly, and he cried out urgently, “Wait, you can’t kill me!”

“Oh, I can’t kill you? Give me a reason?” Jiang Feng said, frowning.

Brother Gou gasped. He knew Jiang Feng wasn’t just putting on an act; he really intended to kill him. He hurriedly said, “Brother Xiong, I’m Brother Xiong’s man! You can’t kill me!”

“Is Brother Xiong so great?” Jiang Feng sneered.

“Yes, Brother Xiong is extremely great. If he knew you killed me, he would definitely kill you too,” Brother Gou stammered.

“Then I’ll kill him too,” Jiang Feng said nonchalantly, his knife flashing as he slit Brother Gou’s throat.

Twenty minutes later, led by a henchman, Jiang Feng arrived at Brother Xiong’s residence.

Brother Xiong’s residence was also on the outskirts of Baishan City, near the suburbs. Unlike the desolate surroundings, Brother Xiong lived in a villa, lavishly decorated and exuding the air of a nouveau riche.

The villa was brightly lit inside. Jiang Feng frowned, glanced around, and asked the man who had led the way, “Is this the place?”

The man nodded hastily, fearing Jiang Feng might kill him, and said in a trembling voice, “It’s right here. Brother Xiong usually doesn’t go out at night; he should be home right now.”

Jiang Feng walked straight to the front gate. He had just reached the gate when he heard a voice from inside: “Who’s there?”

Soon, four figures appeared behind the large iron gate, glaring menacingly at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng didn’t bother with pleasantries. He kicked open the iron gate and went inside.

“I think you’re asking for death, daring to cause trouble on Brother Xiong’s turf!” The four men immediately became enraged, grabbing machetes and attacking Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng was somewhat amused and exasperated. These thugs’ methods were far too crude; they resorted to knives at the drop of a hat. He wondered if they watched too many Hong Kong movies. He casually kicked the four men away a few times and strode inside.

The people inside, hearing the commotion, rushed out. There were at least twenty of them. Leading the group was a middle-aged, burly man, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with thick body hair. Even in the dead of winter, he wore only a thin shirt, revealing his strong, muscular physique. He held two iron balls in his hands, rapidly spinning them as he stared at Jiang Feng.

“Brother, which gang are you from? Breaking into my place so late at night, you’ve overstepped your bounds,” the burly man said in a deep voice.

Jiang Feng glanced at him and said, “You’re Brother Xiong.”

“That’s right,” Brother Xiong said.

“Is Brother Gou one of your men?” Jiang Feng asked again.

“Yes… but who are you?” Brother Xiong sensed something was amiss.

“In that case, you can go die,” Jiang Feng said calmly. 

“Hmph, what arrogance! Young man, aren’t you afraid of your tongue slipping out? I’d like to see how you’re going to kill me.” Brother Xiong roared in fury, gesturing for his men to charge at Jiang Feng.

It was the same simplistic, brute-force tactic of sheer numbers. Jiang Feng was truly astonished that Brother Xiong had risen to such a position with so little skill.

He didn’t even bother to lift a finger, simply kicking them all to the ground.

Seeing Jiang Feng’s attack, Brother Xiong knew he was no ordinary man, but he hadn’t expected him to be this powerful. His men, while not all experts, were all formidable fighters in one-on-one or group battles, which was precisely what had earned him his reputation.

But these men had all fallen before Jiang Feng could even last a single round. This greatly alarmed Brother Xiong, realizing he had met his match. Even if he himself intervened, it would likely be futile.

Taking a deep breath, Brother Xiong looked at the composed Jiang Feng and said, “Brother, you look unfamiliar. You’re probably not from around here. If you need money, just ask. There’s no need to make such a fuss. I, Xiong, may not be rich, but I can afford some travel expenses.”

Jiang Feng smiled slightly. He knew Brother Xiong had misunderstood his intentions and thought he was trying to extort money. He said calmly, “So generous! Then tell me, how much money do you have? I’ll take it all.”

A flash of anger appeared in Brother Xiong’s eyes. He had seen Jiang Feng’s impressive spending and wanted to avoid bigger trouble, so he tried to silence him with money. He never expected Jiang Feng to want it all. This would destroy everything he had worked so hard for over the years. He roared… He said, “You want it all right off the bat? Aren’t you afraid you won’t live to spend it all? We’ve never had any grudges or conflicts, why be so ruthless? Do you really think I, Xiong, am easy to bully?”

Jiang Feng laughed upon hearing this, saying, “Isn’t bullying the weak ruthless? Isn’t drawing a knife at the slightest disagreement ruthless? I didn’t try to reason with you, but you’re trying to reason with me instead. This is quite interesting.”

“Bullying the weak?” Xiong Ge immediately understood, gritting his teeth angrily, “It must be that bastard Er Gou using my name to do this. While not everyone in our Xiong Gang is a hero, we all have families to support. We would never do something like bullying the weak.”

“Oh?” Jiang Feng frowned. 

Brother Xiong said, “If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask around about my character. If I really did what you said, you can kill me or torture me as you please. If I, Brother Xi0ng, even flinch, I’m not a man.”