Chapter 21: Asserting Authority at the First Encounter

Hundreds of thousands of citizens lived in An Nan city. The Mu family was one of the three upper-class families in An Nan city with over 1,000 family members. Adding the Mu family’s servants, there were around 3,000 people living in this branch family.

The Mu family’s residency occupied more than 10 acres of land. A wall that was almost 10 meters tall encircled the whole residential area, and within the wall stood numerous pagodas and courtyards. These buildings were quite typical; they looked very similar to the buildings you could find in almost any other residency.

As soon as they stepped into the Mu family’s residency, they were welcomed by another group of people who were led by a middle-aged man dressed in white robes. He had a squarish face and seemed to be highly respected by the others.

He was Mu Hai, the Lord of this branch family and a Ning Gang Ninth Sky cultivator.

“Haha, Little Feng, I haven’t seen you in ages! You’ve grown into a handsome young man already.”

Mu Hai looked at Mu Feng and said with a laugh.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Uncle Hai.”

Mu Feng and the others bowed and greeted Mu Hai.

Mu Hai, a branch family member of the Mu family, was Mu Feng’s distant relative. Due to his high cultivation level, he was put in charge of managing the branch family in An Nan city.

“No, the pleasure is mine. When I first saw you, you were just about this tall. Now, you’re already a young adult. Even though I live in this branch family, I’ve long heard about your excellent performance in the army. It’s amazing that you have killed hundreds of enemies at such a young age. You are your father’s son indeed.”

Mu Hai said with a kind smile on his face, as he gave Mu Feng’s shoulder a light pat.

“Haha, it’s nothing to brag about.” Mu Feng smiled lightly and remained humble.

“Well then, let’s continue our chat inside. I’ve prepared a welcoming banquet for you.”

The group of people chattered and walked into the residence.

As they walked by, many of the Mu family servants and other disciples bowed and made way for them to pass.

“Hey, Brother Li, isn’t that Mu Feng, the Little Lord from the main family? I heard that he killed hundreds of enemies on the battlefield. He was hailed as a genius because he reached the Zi Fu level before he turned 15 years old.”

A group of young men were pointing and chatting about Mu Feng in the distance.

Among them, there was a 19-year-old young man dressed in black. He had a pair of deep-set eyes and looked a little bit like a gangster.

“Hmph, he killed hundreds of enemies in battle? I’m sure that it was his father who did the killing, but he gave Mu Feng the credit. You can’t simply believe in rumors. Don’t tell me that a 15-year-old brat like him could really kill hundreds of enemies? I don’t buy it! Besides, he’s not a genius anymore. Haven’t you guys heard that all his Meta-pulses were damaged in battle? His cultivation has gone down the drain, and now he’s nothing but a cripple. That’s why he’s here, in the branch family. Otherwise, it would be impossible for a Little Lord like him to be assigned here to suffer.”

Mu Li sneered coldly and scowled.

“What?! His Meta-pulses are all damaged? Doesn’t that mean that he can’t cultivate anymore?”

The group of young men were shocked when they heard his words. They then looked at Mu Feng in disdain.

“That’s what my father told me. My father is the Lord of this branch, so I don’t think that he’d lie to me about it. That’s why, as I said, you guys shouldn’t be treating him like a Little Lord; he’s just a cripple whose ranking is even lower than us. Come on, let’s go over to his welcoming banquet. It’ll be the perfect chance for me to put him in his place. He won’t dare to act high-and-mighty in front of us anymore.”

Mu Li laughed sarcastically and led the others to the welcoming banquet.

There were 10 tables set up in the main hall. A few senior family members and some talented young disciples sat among them as well.

Mu Feng and Mu Hai were seated at the first table. Mu Hai sat on the seat of honor, with Mu Feng sitting beside him. The remaining seats were occupied by Mu Zhong and seven other Ning Gang level cultivators.

“Come, let’s raise a toast and welcome our family’s genius, Little Lord Feng!”

Mu Hai smiled and got up from his seat with a glass of beer in his hand.

“Welcome, Little Lord Feng.”

Nearly a hundred guests stood up and raised their glasses as well.

“Thank you all, my dear elders, brothers, and sisters of the Mu family! From today onwards, I’m a member of this family. My sincerest apologies to everybody for all the inconvenience caused.”

Mu Feng smiled and stood up as well. He then drank the beer in one go.

After drinking their beers, the crowd sat down and started chattering to one another. Most of them looked at Mu Feng when they chatted.

Somebody started spreading the news about Mu Feng’s damaged Meta-pulses, and they started discussing the topic. The people who once looked at Mu Feng with a hint of admiration in their eyes slowly started to look at him with pity and sarcasm instead.

“Little Feng, I’ve heard about what happened to you… Haih, don’t be too sad about your father. After all, your father was a soldier, so it was his destiny to die on the battlefield.”

Mu Hai said to Mu Feng, sighing deeply.

A trace of sadness flashed across Mu Feng’s eyes, but he soon smiled and said: “Don’t worry, Uncle Hai, I understand what you mean.”

“Oh, by the way, I also heard that your Meta-pulses are damaged, is that true?”

Mu Hai asked cautiously.

Mu Feng retained his calm expression and replied: “Yes, it’s true, but…”

“Hey, Little Lord Feng, I heard that you are the most talented cultivator in our family. Well, I, Mu Li, have always wanted to spar with you in a friendly match. I would love to learn some fighting skills from you. Besides, it should be quite entertaining for our guests too. What do you say?”

Just as Mu Feng was about to finish his sentence, a sarcastic laugh rang out in the hall and a young man dressed in black walked out from the crowd.

Upon hearing his words, Mu Feng frowned and looked at him. The young man looked like he was a few years older than Mu Feng.

Mu Feng vaguely remembered who he was. He was Mu Li, Mu Hai’s son.

“Haha, that’s great! I would love to watch and learn from the number one genius in our family!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you, Little Lord Feng. Please show us some of your skills!”

“Show us! Show us!”

Suddenly, the other disciples from Mu Li’s tables chimed in and started cheering.

As soon as the others heard them cheering, some of the guests started to look at Mu Feng sarcastically. One of the guests said in a low voice: “I’ve just heard that all of Little Lord Feng’s Meta-pulses are damaged, and that his cultivation has gone down the drain. Mu Li suddenly proposed to have a match with him, does this mean that he’s trying to assert his authority here?”

“Mu Li is the son of our Lord. I’m sure that he’s unhappy because there’s now a Little Lord from the main family whose rank is higher than his. He’s obviously trying to show off his power within the branch family.”

The other Mu family members weren’t stupid, and they instantly understood what Mu Li was planning to do.

“Uncle Hai, he’s my cousin, Mu Li, right?”

Mu Feng asked.

“That’s right. He’s my son, Mu Li. Mu Li, what are you up to? Today is the welcoming banquet for your cousin Mu Feng, don’t mess around!”

Mu Hai shouted coldly.

“Father, all I wanted was to learn some skills from cousin Mu Feng. I’m not messing around. Wasn’t it you who wanted us to learn from our peers to improve ourselves?”

Mu Li bowed down politely. He then looked at Mu Feng and said with a smile: “So, what do you say, Little Lord Feng? Can you please have a match with me?”

“Hmph, you want to learn some skills? Let me spar with you instead.”

Mu Kuang stood up and said suddenly.

“Who the hell do you think you are? The one I want to spar with is Little Lord Feng. Are you Little Lord Feng? You’re just a piece of trash!”

Mu Li said to Mu Kuang sarcastically, shooting an evil glance at Mu Feng.

“Little Lord Feng, everybody knows that you’re a Wudo genius. Why won’t you accept my challenge? Or, should I say, do you have the courage to accept my challenge?”