Bullying Others with Power

With Red Serpent and Huang Yaoshi present, the three of them easily took down a Second-Tier Magical Beast.

They were lucky; the Second-Tier Magical Beast yielded an ice-attribute magical core.

After arriving at the small town at the foot of the mountain, Chen Cheng found a place that specialized in purchasing magical beasts. He disposed of the Second-Tier Magical Beast's corpse and magical core, exchanging them for some money.

After obtaining his first funds, Chen Cheng's first order of business was changing his outfit. After all, he had only been in this world for six days, and he was still dressed in Earth-style clothes, which looked rather out of place.

Chen Cheng had high standards when it came to clothing, and with Red Serpent—the "Red Lotus Princess"—offering advice at his side, she naturally dressed him up to be quite outstanding with a princess's eye for fashion.

Afterward, Chen Cheng found another inn, booked two rooms, and settled in without rushing to leave the town.

He knew far too little about this world. He needed to gather some information before deciding what to do next.

After resting for the night, Chen Cheng had fully recovered his energy and truly began his journey of exploration in this foreign world.

The town had quite a sizable population. With the mountains at its back, it attracted many mercenary groups who made their living hunting magical beasts.

Most of the town's businesses revolved around products from the mountains—magical beast meat, hides, magical cores, and the like.

Those lucky enough to find precious medicinal herbs in the mountains would also bring them to the market to sell, sometimes making a small fortune.

As he walked through the market, stalls lined the roadside one after another. The vendors' cries were somewhat noisy, yet full of life.

"Come take a look! Fresh Morning Flower Dew gathered this very morning, going cheap!"

"First-Tier Wind Attribute Magical Core! Only 500 Gold Coins! This is your only chance, come grab it!"

Chen Cheng was merely taking in the novelty of it all and had no strong desire to buy anything. Red Serpent and Huang Yaoshi, who followed beside him, spent most of their time examining medicinal herbs.

"Young Master, I just spotted a medicinal herb that is one of the ingredients for refining Nine Flowers Jade Dew Pills. These pills strengthen the body, improve one's health, and prolong one's life. You may purchase it first. Once we gather all the ingredients, this old man can refine them for you," Huang Yaoshi said quietly to Chen Cheng.

"Nine Flowers Jade Dew Pills? Not bad. We can start preparing for them." Chen Cheng was briefly stunned by Huang Yaoshi's words before nodding.

Chen Cheng had heard of the famed Nine Flowers Jade Dew Pills long ago, but they had only ever appeared in novels and television dramas. Now that he had a chance to try them for himself, it felt rather nice.

"Oh, right, Red Serpent. If you see any medicinal herbs you like, you can buy them as well," Chen Cheng added.

Of the two people he had summoned, one was a poison master, while the other could be considered a physician. Both had a great need for medicinal herbs.

Chen Cheng did not have much money on him. It was the money earned from selling the Second-Tier Magical Beast Red Serpent had slain. After buying some necessities, less than eight thousand Gold Coins remained, all of which Chen Cheng kept.

It was not much money, but it was more than enough to buy some low-tier medicinal herbs.

Chen Cheng did not care much about money. Only money that could be spent was truly money; money kept unused was nothing more than scraps of metal. Money could be earned again once it was gone, but if he missed suitable medicinal herbs now, it would be difficult to find them again when he needed them later. (Necessary for the plot, please don't take it seriously! Smug grin.)

"This concubine thanks Master." A smile blossomed across Red Serpent's beautiful face, as lovely as a blooming red lotus.

Red Serpent was a character Chen Cheng had summoned and was absolutely loyal to him. Everything she possessed belonged to Chen Cheng. Thus, although she had killed that magical beast, the money earned from it still belonged to Chen Cheng.

To her, Chen Cheng allowing her to purchase the medicinal herbs she needed was a reward.

Chen Cheng had no particular need for medicinal herbs, nor did he recognize them.

After walking from one end of the market street to the other, Red Serpent and Huang Yaoshi had both bought some medicinal herbs. Chen Cheng, meanwhile, had only picked out a few cheap trinkets before preparing to return to the inn.

Just as Chen Cheng was about to head back, a burst of arguing from the roadside caught his attention.

Most people enjoyed a spectacle. A minor conflict quickly drew a large crowd of onlookers, and Chen Cheng also headed toward the gathering.

"You old fool, this young master taking your things is an honor for you, and you still dare ask for money?"

An arrogant, domineering voice came from within the crowd.

"That's right. Do you even know who our young master is? Haven't you asked around? All of Azure Wolf Street is Feng Family property. Young Master Feng is taking a few things from you—does he need to pay?" A man who seemed to be a servant spoke with the air of someone abusing his master's power.

"Sir, please, have mercy. This Xinlan Grass took this old man tremendous effort to dig up. My granddaughter is still waiting for this money to treat her illness." A humble voice drifted out from the crowd. It was old and hoarse, clearly belonging to an elderly man.

"Get lost! You dare block Young Master Feng's path? Are you tired of living?" the servant barked crudely.

"I'm begging you, please show mercy." The humble voice pleaded repeatedly, yet it failed to earn the wicked young master's pity. Instead, the old man was viciously beaten by the young master's underlings.

Chen Cheng did not squeeze into the crowd and merely watched from a distance. Although the people ahead blocked his view, he could roughly guess what was happening from the voices.

It was nothing more than a wicked young master bullying the locals while no one dared stand up against him.

Chen Cheng was no saint, nor did he intend to step in. Even under the current circumstances, with Red Serpent and Huang Yaoshi at his side, teaching the wicked young master a lesson would have been effortless.

Playing the hero to save a beauty was one thing. As for showing off by punishing evil, that was better left to righteous heroes.

"Cao Lao Han, forget it. Young Master Feng comes from a powerful family; you can't afford to offend him. It's only one herb. Just give it to him." After Young Master Feng left, the surrounding onlookers finally began quietly consoling the old man.

They were merely ordinary people. How could they possibly dare offend the powerful and wealthy?

"Let's go." After watching the spectacle, Chen Cheng merely smiled it off and spoke to Red Serpent and Huang Yaoshi.

Yet just as Chen Cheng was preparing to leave, another incident seemed to occur.

Young Master Feng, who had just bullied others with his power, had not left peacefully. Instead, he bumped into someone in the crowd.

"How dare you! Who are you to block our young master's path?" Young Master Feng's servant shouted angrily at the person Young Master Feng had run into.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties. He wore a light-blue scholar's robe, held a folding fan, and possessed handsome features and an elegant bearing.

"Impudent."

This man's identity seemed far from ordinary as well. Six Guards dressed in matching uniforms followed at his side. One of them, a burly bearded man, shouted sternly. His voice was thunderous, and it seemed to contain some kind of energy, causing everyone who heard it to feel a faint tremor run through their bodies.

"A Dou Shi?"

Young Master Feng's guard was so frightened by the bearded man's thunderous shout that he staggered back several steps before landing on his backside and crashing heavily to the ground.

Young Master Feng's guard stared at the bearded man in panic and said in disbelief.

Young Master Feng's other Guards hurriedly helped their fallen companion up, then stood beside Young Master Feng and watched the people opposite them nervously.

Young Master Feng was also startled by the sudden turn of events, his expression somewhat panicked.

Although he had not taken the bearded man's attack head-on, the leaking energy still caused him intense discomfort.

The Feng Family held some standing in Linshi Town, and Young Master Feng had always been accustomed to acting arrogant and overbearing. He had never expected to run into an iron wall today.

A Dou Shi!

And merely a Guard at that?

Young Master Feng did not dare imagine just how thick the iron wall he had kicked was this time.

The strongest person in Linshi Town was only a Dou Shi. Even his father was merely a Three-Star Dou Shi.

Yet for this handsome Young Master in blue, a Dou Shi could only serve as a Guard.

He could not imagine how lofty this Young Master in blue's status was.

"Young Master, I was reckless and offended you. I am willing to apologize. I hope you will be magnanimous." Young Master Feng lowered his head slightly and hurriedly admitted defeat.

Young Master Feng had never been so humble before. This was the first time, and he did not have the courage to resist.

He knew very well that if he offended a great figure who had a Dou Shi as a Guard, not even his father would be able to protect him.

In the Izumo Empire, human lives were cheap. Young Master Feng could easily take the lives of commoners, and others could just as easily take his.

The Young Master in blue casually brushed at dust that did not exist on his clothes, then said, "I can forgive your disrespect toward me, but as a merchant, I cannot tolerate buying things without paying. Do you know what you should do?"

The Young Master in blue spoke in a very mild tone, yet his words carried an authority that made Young Master Feng afraid to disobey.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go pay right away." With a fawning smile, Young Master Feng hurried back to the old man he had bullied earlier, asked the price, and paid in full.

The old man was left completely stunned by this turn of events. Once he came to his senses, he hurried over to the Young Master in blue and kowtowed in gratitude.

After letting the old man leave, the Young Master in blue called Young Master Feng over again and said to him, "Remember this: paying for what you buy is only natural. If I catch you doing this again, there will be no need for you to continue existing."

"Remember my name: Murong Zhi of the Murong Family."

The Young Master in blue's actions drew cheers from the people nearby. Young Master Feng had bullied the weak for a long time, but because the Feng Family was powerful and influential, they had only dared to be angry without speaking out.

Today, a noble figure had stepped in to punish Young Master Feng. It was truly deeply satisfying.

After the Young Master in blue announced his name, some knowledgeable people in the crowd were greatly shocked upon hearing that surname. Groups of three or five gathered together and discussed it in low voices.

Chen Cheng also used the system to learn the Young Master in blue's information.

Name: Murong Zhi

Cultivation: Three-Star Great Dou Shi