Calling a Stag a Horse

"Feng Qi, what are you trying to do?"

"Are you trying to make enemies of the Three Gates and Five Sects?"

"Outrageous!"

"Villain!"

Gao Yong and the others sprang to their feet and demanded answers from Dug.

Their expressions were all grim. None of them had expected Feng Qi to truly be this brazen.

Amid their voices, Wang San's sinister voice rose behind He Yuan'an. "Dear brother, I love you. Turn around and look at me!"

Fear swept over He Yuan'an's heart, as though some nameless monster lurked behind him. He instinctively turned and assumed a defensive stance. At the very instant he turned, the sound of wind came from behind him. By the time he remembered Feng Qi, it was already too late.

Pain stabbed through his chest. Half a gleaming blade protruded from his front, and all strength drained from He Yuan'an's body like a receding tide. His once-clear vision gradually blurred. He turned back with difficulty. "Feng Qi, you..."

Before he could finish speaking—

His head tilted to one side, and he departed for the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

It had all happened in the time it took for a spark to flash off flint.

By the time Gao Yong and the others reacted, He Yuan'an had already collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood gushing out beneath him. Dug stood behind him with a bloodstained dagger in hand, like a demon.

Dug glanced at He Yuan'an at his feet, sighed, and said regretfully, "With skills like these, you still dared imitate others in committing evil. Your death is no loss."

Gao Yong and the others stared at Dug, their faces ashen. Not one of them dared move.

They had been sent to Luyang City because their martial skills were roughly on par with one another. He Yuan'an had not lasted even a single move against him—how many exchanges could they possibly endure? Feng Qi was simply too fast.

That nonsense about the Heavenly Demon's strength changing along with his attributes had been a lie from the start! No one in Luyang City still believed his talk of upholding justice, so why had his martial skills not weakened in the slightest? The Divine Fist Gate had sent two men, and He Yuan'an had even brought a deputy steward. Staring at He Yuan'an lying in a pool of blood, the deputy seemed only now to come to his senses. His face turned pale as he pointed at Dug and stammered incoherently, "Steward He... Feng Qi... You dare kill Steward He? Aren't you afraid of the Divine Fist Gate's retaliation?"

"He Yuan'an impersonated the Peacekeeping Gang, robbed the common people of their money, destroyed the trust I had painstakingly built among the people, and tarnished the Divine Fist Gate's reputation. Having committed such evil, why would I not dare kill him?" Dug turned to look at him. "To uphold justice in the martial world, Feng is willing to die without regret. Why should I fear the Divine Fist Gate? I believe the Divine Fist Gate is one of the righteous leaders of the martial world. If Gate Master Tong learns that such a vile disciple emerged from his gate, he will surely applaud Feng's actions."

"You... you're slandering us!" the deputy said. "Everyone knows what happened last night was done by Qiu Feipeng and the others..."

"You're still trying to quibble." Dug cut him off with a sneer. "Then what are these Peacekeeping Gang clothes that were found in your compound? Don't tell me the Divine Fist Gate intends to merge into the Peacekeeping Gang?"

"This... this is clearly your planted evidence! Does your Peacekeeping Gang lack clothes like these?" The deputy trembled with rage. "What happened last night occurred during the fourth watch. You never even left the gate—how could you possibly have found the culprits so quickly?"

Qiu Feipeng really had been hiding in the Divine Fist Gate.

That morning, Dug had heard Liu Cheng say that Divine Fist Gate Master Tong Shihong was friendly with Qiu Yuanlang. He had wondered whether Qiu Feipeng and the others might be hiding in the Divine Fist Gate's compound. Unexpectedly, his guess had been right.

But what Dug wanted was the effect of protection. What the truth was did not actually matter. He was not Conan.

Just as the other side had used such a clumsy scheme to frame him.

In this world, fists decided everything. He had to take advantage of his attributes still being at their peak to cut through the mess with a swift blade and put an end to the schemes against him.

If he waited for his attributes to fall, he would only sink step by step into a vicious cycle. By then, no matter what he wanted to do, he would likely have the will but lack the strength.

React to every move as it came?

Dug would not do something as foolish as letting his enemies lead him around by the nose.

As for the consequences of offending the Three Gates and Five Sects? If he could not even get through the trial before him, what future would there be to speak of? "Nothing to say now?" the deputy said. "And you claim the Beggar Gang and Taishan Sect jointly found these in our compound. Your framing tactics are far too childish. Just wait for the six major sects to retaliate!"

Gao Yong and Ding Wanjie's expressions changed at the same time, and they inwardly cursed the fool.

"Is that so?" Dug looked at the two men, the dagger in his palm faintly aimed at their chests, and asked with a smile, "Daoist Gao, Elder Ding, weren't these Peacekeeping Gang clothes seized jointly by us from the Divine Fist Gate's compound?"

The Divine Fist Gate deputy's face changed at once. He hurriedly said, "You two stewards, there are so many of us. Are we really afraid of one Feng Qi...?"

"Elder Ding, yesterday many citizens of Luyang City came to accuse members of the Beggar Gang of theft, robbery, abduction, and trafficking. The evils they committed surpassed even those of the Iron Palm Gang. Since the Beggar Gang is, after all, a member of the Peacekeeping Joint Defense, I gave Elder Ding some face and wished to let you handle the villains within your gang yourself, giving the victims justice." Dug looked at Ding Wanjie, the Beggar Gang's Seven-Pouch Elder. "But if Elder Ding himself is not upright and cannot handle these matters properly, Feng may have no choice but to overstep his bounds and uphold the Beggar Gang's reputation on its behalf."

Fuck! When the hell did I become a member of the Peacekeeping Joint Defense?

Seeing the look in Dug's eyes, as though he might Act on Behalf of Heaven at any moment, Ding Wanjie's throat went dry. He glanced at the old beggar beside him, who was already dumbstruck, and secretly regretted it. Had he known Feng Qi was such a madman, he never should have come to watch a joke. Now, he had turned himself completely into one.

"Elder Ding."

"Elder Ding?"

The Divine Fist Gate deputy and Dug spoke almost simultaneously—one anxiously, the other urging him on.

"Elder Ding, Feng Qi first dumped filth on the Divine Fist Gate, then slandered the Beggar Gang. He clearly means to break us one by one. Fellow stewards, let's fight him!" The Divine Fist Gate deputy was breaking out in a head full of white sweat as he desperately sought allies.

"Shut up." Seeing Dug's gaze gradually turn cold, Ding Wanjie gritted his teeth and said, "Gang Leader Feng is right. These clothes were indeed found by us in your Divine Fist Gate compound. Gang Leader Feng acts to uphold righteousness in the martial world, while you petty scoundrels sabotage him from within. You are truly no better than beasts. Ding is ashamed to stand among you!"

After saying that, his face flushed crimson. He could not help closing his eyes, not daring to look at the Divine Fist Gate's deputy steward.

This time, he had truly lost every shred of face he had.

"Elder Ding?" The Divine Fist Gate deputy's limbs turned icy. He looked at Ding Wanjie, then at Gao Yong, utterly at a loss. He had never expected such an answer.

"What else do you have to say?" Dug smiled, picked up a Peacekeeping Gang garment from the floor, and smeared it with blood from He Yuan'an's corpse. "The clothes even bear bloodstains from when you beat the citizens of Luyang City yesterday. Now we have both witnesses and physical evidence. The evidence is as solid as a mountain—what else do you have to say?"

Fuck!

The council hall once more fell into an eerie silence.

Liu Cheng's eyes bulged round. That morning, when he had heard Dug lay out his plan, he had already thought him audacious beyond all bounds. Yet he had never imagined his nerve would be this great. This was openly grinding the faces of the Three Gates and Five Sects into the dirt! Gao Yong and the Taishan Sect members stared at Feng Qi, their chests heaving as fury burned within them.

This is too insulting.

Before, they had at least made up an excuse. Now they could not even be bothered to hide it!

How could there be such a villain in the world? And yet this very man kept proclaiming that he wanted to uphold peace? He Yuan'an's corpse was still lying there, while Dug stood with a smile in his eyes, as though waiting for them to rush him.

The few people in charge hesitated for a long while. No one dared to charge forward and openly turn against Feng Qi...

Charging in now meant death!

Judging by Feng Qi's way of doing things, once they were dead, he would definitely dump a basin of filth over their heads without even turning around...

Wang San and Feng Zhong exchanged a glance. Looking at Dug standing before them, the admiration in their eyes was practically overflowing.

He made evil deeds seem only natural, open and aboveboard, then draped them in a beautiful outer skin.

Those methods, that domineering bearing, that shamelessness...

If he did not succeed, who would? Compared to Feng Qi, the two of them truly still had a long way to go!

But Feng Qi's performance also confirmed it for them: his Keyword was definitely not Maintenance.

If Maintenance looked like Feng Qi, they would eat the dictionary.

Dug smiled and asked, "Daoist Gao, would you not agree?"

"That's right." Gao Yong looked at Dug, the corners of his eyes twitching violently several times. Bracing himself, he squeezed out two words through clenched teeth.

"What else do you have to say?" Dug turned to the Divine Fist Gate's deputy manager and asked.

"I have nothing to say." Looking at the circle of familiar strangers around him, the deputy manager finally gave up struggling. He glared viciously at Dug. "Feng Qi, you act so recklessly. Retribution will come for you. The Divine Fist Gate will not let you off..."

"Feng was born with Maintenance as his attribute. In order to uphold the righteous spirit in my heart, I do not even fear death—why would I fear retribution?" Dug raised an eyebrow, shook his head at him, and spoke with righteous severity. "The pure remain pure, and the muddied remain muddied. I spare your life so you can watch how Feng cleans this filthy martial world from top to bottom, just as I have cleansed the Iron Palm Gang.

"Feng firmly believes that one day, fairness and justice will outweigh the fist, and people will no longer fear being plundered by bandits in the dead of night. Martial arts are for strengthening the body, not for bullying the weak with strength..."