Chapter 41: Standing Up for Justice

“Uncle Mu, because of my personal grievances, the Tianji Mu family has fallen out with Kongmen. I am deeply grateful, but also feel terribly sorry!” After Han Mo left, only Chu Feng and Mu Zhentong remained in the grand reception hall. Chu Feng spoke from the heart.

“My dear nephew, you don’t need to be so formal! I’ve never liked that old dog Xiong Zhan. Using your matter as an excuse to give him a taste of my temper was already part of my plans. You needn’t take it to heart,” Mu Zhentong replied casually, patting Chu Feng’s shoulder.

Chu Feng was no fool. He understood that Mu Zhentong said this deliberately to ease his mind, so that he wouldn’t feel indebted to the Mu family.

Among the Four Great Powers of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins, none could be trifled with. Though the Tianji Mu family was stronger than Kongmen, to confront Kongmen so openly and become adversaries, Mu Zhentong was not acting only on his own behalf, but as a representative of the entire Mu clan. The pressure he bore was immense.

Once enmity broke out, the next step would be blades drawn and rivers of blood; both sides could suffer heavy casualties. For the Tianji Mu family, this could only spell disaster.

“Uncle Mu, there is something I wish to ask,” Chu Feng said. “Within the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins, what is the relationship between the Four Great Powers? And what connection do they have to the Hengshan Sect in the town beyond Hengshan?”

This question had long puzzled Chu Feng. Previously, his strength was too meager, and he had no mind to ponder such distant matters. Now, with his power growing, he naturally began to pay attention to such things.

“That’s a good question! The Hengshan Sect is divided into the Inner Sect, which is in Hengshan Town, and the Outer Sect, which is in the town beyond Hengshan,” Mu Zhentong explained. “The Outer Sect of Hengshan and the Four Great Powers are like a master and four disciples. Although the Four Great Powers are prestigious here, in the Outer Town, they’re nothing extraordinary, because all are under the authority of the Hengshan Outer Sect, their ‘master’.”

“So, the Four Great Powers of the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins are like brothers under the same master? If, because of me, the Tianji Mu family and Kongmen come to blows, what would happen if the Hengshan Outer Sect found out? Would they punish the Mu family?” Chu Feng asked.

“They would not,” Mu Zhentong said, shaking his head. “What the Hengshan Outer Sect cannot tolerate is the Four Great Powers ignoring its existence, or worse, turning against it—like disciples showing contempt for their master, or betraying their ancestors. Aside from that, if the Four Great Powers have conflicts among themselves, as long as it doesn’t lead to rivers of blood or threaten the foundation of any one power, the Outer Sect won’t interfere.”

“In fact, the Hengshan Outer Sect prefers the Four Powers to keep each other in check—not fighting to the death, but not growing too close either. Only then is it easier for them to govern.”

“I see!” Chu Feng nodded, finally understanding the relationships at play, and feeling a measure of relief for the Mu family.

No matter what, Mu Zhentong had stood firm against Xiong Zhan, making the Mu family his strong backing and intimidating Xiong Zhan greatly. Chu Feng would always remember this favor.

“Uncle Mu, I have some mundane matters to attend to, so I must leave the Mu family for now. Please take care of yourself! Before I head to the Wind and Thunder Martial Hall, I’ll come visit once more,” Chu Feng said.

“Very well, go about your business. I’ll have someone see you off,” Mu Zhentong replied, not pressing him to stay.

Half an hour later, the Mu family’s two outstanding young men, the brothers Mu Kaishan and Mu Kaihe, escorted Chu Feng to the foot of Tianji Mountain, watching as he boarded a swift boat bound for the Outer Town of Hengshan.

Seated on the boat, with cool winds brushing his face, Chu Feng reflected on all that had happened during his days with the Mu family.

All in all, his stay at the Mu family had been both pleasant and rewarding.

First, his martial strength had advanced—he had arrived at the second level of the Body Refinement stage, and now had reached the fourth, improving by two small realms. He was no longer the same as before.

Second, his connections in the martial world had expanded greatly.

Before, Chu Feng had been a mere underling in Kongmen, with no connections at all. He knew no one. Now, not only had he forged ties with the reliable and powerful Mu family, but he had also met Mu Qiaoxue, a woman of extraordinary background and talent.

Moreover, on the matter of wealth, Chu Feng had struck it rich. Because of a wager, Ding Wanchong had lost two thousand gold to him. Chu Feng had not stood on ceremony—before setting out, he’d collected from Mu Kaishan twenty gold notes, each worth a hundred gold.

Two thousand gold—amounting to two hundred thousand silver—was no small sum for anyone.

In Kongmen, for someone like Pan Ba, the leader of the ‘Eight Tyrants of Kongmen,’ gathering two thousand gold without a windfall would take three or four years.

As for Ding Wanchong, to lose that much on a single bet must have made his heart bleed.

As the saying goes, “the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts”—the further along the martial path, the higher the expenses: pills, equipment, secret manuals—everything costs money. Now, with these two thousand gold, Chu Feng’s path ahead would be free from financial worry, at least for a while.

Beyond wealth, his horizons had broadened. Take, for instance, the Mu family’s Mechanism Chamber, with its ingenious puppets and mechanisms, a veritable sacred ground for martial cultivation—something few could ever witness.

Strength, connections, wealth, and experience—Chu Feng tallied up his gains. Truly, he had reaped an abundant harvest at the Mu family.

And not just for himself—his younger sister Xin Lian, too, was about to encounter great fortune. To be able to learn at Mu Qiaoxue’s side, and to grow alongside her on the martial path—how many could even dream of such an opportunity?

...

The swift boat glided downstream.

Two mornings later, the boat docked at the quay of the Outer Town of Hengshan.

Chu Feng had returned to the Outer Town.

What a difference ten miles could make. The Mu family and Kongmen regions basked in clear skies and warm sunshine, but here, the Outer Town was shrouded with dark clouds, thunder rumbling, and rain pouring down—a storm was imminent.

Boom!

A peal of thunder cracked overhead as Chu Feng walked down the street.

Despite the foul weather, Chu Feng’s mood was bright. He hadn’t seen his sister or Brother Xiao Dao for half a month—he wondered how they were faring at the inn. Surely they were eating and drinking their fill, living in comfort.

“Ah!”

As Chu Feng walked along the stone-paved street, a woman’s cry suddenly rang out from the roadside.

Turning, he saw a slim young woman in a gray dress fleeing desperately down the street. At her cry, she seemed to twist her leg and crashed heavily to the ground.

Immediately, two martial artists in golden attire rushed up. The fat one seized the girl, slapped her hard across the face, and sent her sprawling again.

“Ah!” the girl in gray screamed, writhing in pain on the ground. “Don’t hit me, please! I’ll repay the money I owe, I promise! Spare me, I beg you, just this once…”

“Spare you? Give us the money! If you don’t pay what you owe, I don’t care if you’re a girl or a man—I’ll beat you to death!” the fat man barked, kicking her.

“Damn it, who do you think you are, owing money to the Grand Money Gate? Don’t you know what we do to debtors? Today I’ll sell you to a brothel!” shouted the other, a black-faced man.

“Please, let me go! I didn’t mean to default, I really have no money! Just this once—please, I’ll repay you in the future, sob…” The girl in gray clung to the cold stone pavement, sobbing as the two men beat and cursed her.

Watching, Chu Feng shook his head and pitied her misfortune. He was about to walk on when a note in her voice struck him as oddly familiar.

He turned back and approached. Sure enough, the girl’s face was familiar—it was the very same Xiao Li!

Xiao Li—the young woman who had once sold him fifty jin of beast meat at the market near the Mu family’s domain.

“It’s her? How did she end up like this, being beaten in the street?” Chu Feng thought.

“Spare you? Easy for you to say! If I let you go, who’ll repay the debt? Speak—should I sell you to a brothel, or beat you to death right here?” the fat man shouted, raising his foot to kick Xiao Li.

But his kick met something as hard as stone, and he howled in pain.

“You—who are you? Don’t meddle in the Grand Money Gate’s business!” the fat man yelled, seeing that Chu Feng had silently intervened and blocked his kick.