Chapter 22 (1/2)

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The Fallen Tiger

In the far away city of Cheng'an, the crow of roosters' crescendo as the city awakes. In just a few moments, the city came to life and the fishermen set sail on their boats, paddling to sea as they slowly left the docks in search of fish to catch.

In the middle of Xilian lake, brothel boats lined the sh.o.r.e. And In the middle of Cailian alley and on the brothel boats, the harlots' beloved wh.o.r.emongers treaded sluggishly as they left the establishments to mount their horses. All the while dishevelled women blew kisses and flirtatiously winked at them through the windows as they departed. At the front gates, brothel-keepers were tidying up while the female servants gently removed the lanterns from the entrance, blowing out the candles inside.

Before sunrise, street food vendors on Hutong alley had already wheeled their carts in, setting up shop as they prepared their tables and stools, hailing for customers to dine at their stalls.

These ordinary people that resided in Cheng'an city lived content with the tranquil repet.i.tion of their daily lives, unaware of the huge turmoil that would befall them!

As though just as tranquil, in the side room of the Li house, Li Chengfeng jolted awake, drenched in sweat with a mortified look on his face.

Li Chengfeng had just woken up from an eerie nightmare. In the dream, he had witnessed a towering heavenly palace, a stunning and ethereal fairy…….and an army of terrifying and powerful enemies.

But Li Chengfeng had already forgotten what the palace looked like. As for the fairy in his dreams, he only remembered the white robe she was wearing shrouded in mist, her beauty so ethereal that it moved the very depths of his soul.  And now as he recalled her face, it felt like it was a dream as such beauty could not be real!

Whereas the terrifying and powerful enemies, he only remembered them as a round of dark shadows and immense fear he felt from their menacing aura. Just the thought of it caused a cold sweat and sent chills down his spine!

Li Chengfeng let out a cry, and immediately there was movement from the outer room next to the side room. Zhao Xiaobao had rushed into the room the second he heard. He began nervously examining his Young Master from head to toe, checking if there was anything wrong with him.

“Young master…. Are you feeling ok? Is there anywhere on your body making you feel uncomfortable?” asked Zhao Xiaobao nervously.

Li Chengfeng gave him a weird look, “Have you gone mad? Why would I-”. Li Chengfeng stopped mid-sentence as his facial expression changed immediately, “Where is that priest?!”

“He…he left, young master.” Replied Zhao Xiaobao carefully.

Li Chengfeng was filled with rage. He swiftly jumped off his bed and rushed out of his room with his bare feet, muttering, “He left just like that? That b*stard! He took so much of our family's posses-“

“Young Master! The priest did not leave before giving us a golden invitation!” Zhao Xiaobao quickly exclaimed, attempting to stop his young master from leaving.

“A golden invitation?”, asked Li Chengfeng curiously.

“Yes! A golden invitation! Whoever holds the golden invitation is able to enter the Spiritual Mountain Sect Young Master!”, replied Zhao Xiaobao, complexity filling his eyes.

Li Chengfeng was very surprised, “Found a conscience, has he? Hey, he has yet to discover our weakness, right? Did he not realise when we almost exposed ourselves?”

Zhao Xiaobao's expression slightly changed as he put on a forced smile, “Of course not, how could he have found out?”

Li Chengfeng let out a sigh of relief. “How dare this imbecile hit my mother! Just wait until I see him, I will bury him in the cesspit!” Li Chengfeng said angrily.

“Young master, such an opportunity escapes you” Zhao Xiaobao replied, his gaze a mix of fear and respect.

“Oh right, what level did he determine me?” asked Li Chengfeng, his anger subsiding.

Zhao Xiaobao stuttered, “H-he said you were….”

“Well?!” Li Chengfeng responded impatiently. “What did he say about me ?!”

“He said the young master's evaluation was of first-cla.s.s level, a talented genius that every cultivating sect would fight to have for themselves!” whispered Zhao Xiaobao.

Li Chengfeng was stunned, “What? Really?”

Zhao Xiaobao nodded. But was quickly afraid it would not please the young master. Fearing it was too quick and not convincing, he nodded vigorously.

Suspicion filled Li Chengfeng's expression, “Hmph! To h.e.l.l with the Spiritual Mountain Sect! I couldn't care less!” he scoffed.

Seeing that the lie he and Madam Xie carefully planned had worked, Zhao Xiaobao gave out a relieved sigh. “Yes yes, the young master is the world's most talented genius ! Anyone could see that wherever you go!” Zhao Xiaobao replied with a smile.

“Precisely. There are so many other Sects in the world, why should I concern myself with only the Spiritual Mountain Sect?! the Qiankun Gate which ranks number one is much better!” Li Chengfeng guffawed.

“Yes, you're right!” Zhao Xiaobao agreed enthusiastically.

“Oh that's right, how has it been in Zhixi's place? Did Qiu Liansheng have any messages for me?” asked Li Chengfeng.

“That shorty is done for. To think that he actually dared to strike the Taishou's beloved mistress with a knife! The old man really must've thought he was invincible, he probably thinks that being able to live is a pain.” Zhao Xiaobao replied, he had never liked the fact that his own young master would hang around that short stoutly man.

Li Chengfeng chuckled, “Xiaobao oh Xiaobao, you may have street smarts but you lack the smarts to see the big picture! You've misunderstood the situation! Old Qiu is the smartest man I have ever encountered in my life, he will never do anything that would do himself any harm.”

“What do you mean?” asked Xiaobao unconvinced.

“If not for Qiu Liansheng's seemingly reckless attack, how would Master Zhang be able to step down from this mess? Let the Zhan family take away his mistress? Not to mention the credibility he would lose if people found out about the crime of him harbouring a demon. He would lose his t.i.tle and be thrown into prison! Also, if he, a mere fourth rate officer, refused the Zhan family's wishes of taking his mistress away, wouldn't that mean he would have to remain enemies with the Zhan families until the end?” replied Li Chengfeng.

“But wasn't Su Zhixian willing to bleed in order to prove that she was innocent?”

Li Chengfeng sneered, “If she didn't die, the Zhan family will always have leverage over him. They might use this as an excuse to force Master Zhang to do certain tasks. Only if she dies where the Taishou would be in a position where his power will not be challenged.”

Zhao Xiaobao stood there for a moment. “So, a life was lost for this mere reason?” He sighed.

Li Chengfeng froze. He suddenly imagined that if this happened in the Li family and the woman that he loved was being chased and a.s.sa.s.sinated. How would he feel if he were in Zhang Taishou's shoes?