A Woman Like a Lion (Part 1)

A Zhu cried out in alarm, "A Feng, why is your face red?" Though he sounded worried, his face was full of malice, his wicked intentions laid bare. He chuckled gloatingly, looking at the two streaks of blood beneath Li Feng's nose and smiling with great ill will. Shaking his head, he took a handkerchief from a girl beside him and handed it to Li Feng, sighing, "A Feng, don't I know you? You still dare to pretend to be a big shot in front of me? Heh heh."

Li Feng grudgingly took the handkerchief and wiped his nosebleed. He then circulated his Qi to seal the small blood vessels near his nasal cavity before grumbling in a muffled voice, "What? I ate a few wild ginsengs a few days ago, and my internal fire was too strong. That's why I ended up like this just from them leaning on me. Do you think I'm a greenhorn who's never seen the world? Especially as a martial artist, my blood and Qi are naturally abundant. What's a little nosebleed?"

A Zhu chuckled, about to retort, when suddenly a commotion erupted from within Chunyi Tower. Seven or eight men in black were sent flying out, screaming in pain, pursued by a single, slender young man. The youth's fists rained down like a torrent, beating the black-clad men until they were crouched on the ground, unable to move. The thudding sound of fists striking flesh made one's scalp tingle.

A Zhu excitedly rushed forward, clapping and shouting, "Good, good! Why are the esteemed lords of the Golden Tiger Gang so spirited today? Beaten by a child." The dozen or so burly men of the Golden Dragon Gang behind him immediately erupted in mocking laughter, amplifying A Zhu's words.

Li Feng hastily wiped the blood from his face, pushed aside a few brightly colored girls in front of him, and squeezed his way to A Zhu's side, looking at the group of beaten black-clad men. Li Feng observed the young person who was beating them, noting the Yin and soft aura of Qi flowing within him, and couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Ha, a bunch of grown men, beaten like this by a little girl, aren't you ashamed? Hahaha, little girl, this is a brothel, why are you here beating people?"

The young person froze for a moment, then shouted in a sharp voice, "Nonsense, how could young master be a girl?" She somewhat flusteredly adjusted her clothes but no longer dared to continue her assault. The Golden Tiger Gang members shot A Zhu looks of extreme animosity, and supporting each other, they quickly walked towards the entrance of Chunyi Tower.

A hint of fierceness flashed in A Zhu's eyes. He gestured to a few burly men behind him, and immediately two burly men parted the crowd of onlookers and ran out. Li Feng knew that those Golden Tiger Gang members were probably about to get hit over the head with bricks. This was how thugs operated; you never knew when you might run into an enemy and get a few hard blows.

Meanwhile, the little girl had already rushed up to Li Feng, shouting at him with extreme arrogance, "You look shifty and untrustworthy, clearly not a good person. You're so thin, you must have wasted away from too much indulgence in wine and women. Humph, young master is clearly a man, yet you insist on calling me a woman. Are your eyes also faulty?" The little lass lectured Li Feng meticulously, painting him as an unparalleled villain and scoundrel.

A Zhu glanced at Li Feng and said in a low voice, "A Feng, I didn't know you were so wicked. I've done quite a few bad things myself, but it seems I can't compare to you."

Li Feng calmly watched the furious little lass and said with a cold smile, "You're a man? Alright then, take off your shirt and let this young master have a look. Let me see if you're a man... Hey, everyone, since we're at a brothel, is there any man who's afraid to take off his clothes? Heh heh, if you're too embarrassed to do it in public, I can find a few girls to accompany you to a room for a thorough examination, how about that? Ah? Which girl is willing to help? I'll give you ten taels of silver." Li Feng raised his hand, a large denomination flying money silver note dangling from it.

The surrounding patrons and idle onlookers cheered loudly, relishing the chaos. Over a dozen girls from Chunyi Tower rushed over, shouting in a babble, "Ha, we'll do it, we'll do it! Such a handsome young master, we can't wait to serve him... Little young master, don't run away! Come to our room, we'll give you a good examination to prove if you're a man, heh heh. My room has a big, comfortable bed, don't run away!"

Seeing Li Feng's ultimate move, the little lass's face turned completely red. She cursed in a low voice, "Despicable and shameless," and turned to rush into Chunyi Tower.

Li Feng shrugged and said casually, "Despicable and shameless? I've always been like this, why do you need to say it? A Zhu, have the customs in Suzhou Prefecture changed? A place where grown men frequent now has women appearing? Is it that people are into fake appearances these days? That's not right either. This young master only knows about the love between men, I've never heard of women liking this kind of thing?" Saying this, he casually handed the flying money note to the girls. It wasn't his money anyway, so he wasn't stingy with it.

A Zhu looked at the main hall entrance of Chunyi Tower with a somewhat unnatural expression and said in a low voice, "This time, we might have stirred up a hornet's nest. The one who was pushed out was the third leader of the Golden Tiger Gang, you know him, Gou Dongxi, known for fighting recklessly. He learned martial arts from people in the White Emperor Sect for a few months and is quite skilled. I can only fight him to a draw, but how was he so easily pushed out by that kid?"

A young man in a white scholar's robe, with a folded fan tucked diagonally behind his collar, arrogantly held Gou Dongxi by the collar with one hand and walked out with the little lass who had just fled inside. This young man had a delicate, oval face, slender and fine fingers, a well-proportioned build, and a beautiful appearance. Li Feng snorted, "Damn it, another imposter. Could it be Gou Dongxi's wife, who came to Chunyi Tower to catch him cheating? No, that doesn't seem right either?"

The young person, no, the young woman, had excellent hearing and heard Li Feng's snort from five or six zhang away. Her expression turned extremely unpleasant. With a wave of her hand, Gou Dongxi's sturdy body was thrown two zhang away. Gou Dongxi's mouth opened wide, and he began to curse loudly, "Damn you brat, when my men arrive, I'll... " The little lass rushed forward and stomped on his chest with her toe. Gou Dongxi stiffened all over and collapsed on the ground.

The young woman pulled out the folded fan tucked inside her collar and opened it with a 'swish' in her hand, shouting in a gruff voice, "Who was just spewing garbage from their mouth? Stand out here. Slap yourself twenty times, and young master will spare you... Otherwise, when young master takes action myself, you won't have a good life to live."

Li Feng sneered a few times and instead took a few steps back, adopting an attitude of "What can you do to me?" He swayed his shoulders, tilted his head, and looked at the woman askance, his face showing utter indifference, disrespect, and flippancy. Li Feng let out a soft whistle and shook his head, saying, "Little lass, this is a brothel, not a place for women like you to frequent... Hmm, if you say 'stand out, young master,' then this young master will definitely come out. But you call yourself young master, which is a bit... heh heh, heh heh."

The burly men behind A Zhu, trying to curry favor with Li Feng, laughed ignorantly. As they laughed, they leered maliciously at the woman's body. The woman felt as if countless slugs were crawling over her, making her extremely uncomfortable. She cried out sharply, leaped down from the steps, and struck at Li Feng with her fan. The momentum of her pounce was like a fierce tiger, a furious lion attacking a little lamb.

A Zhu cried out, "Not good." His Iron Sand Palm, practiced for several years, whistled as he met the attack. Several burly men, understanding his intent, suddenly rushed forward to shield Li Feng, clenching their fists, as large as bowls, and glaring menacingly at the woman.

With a soft 'bang,' A Zhu's Iron Sand Palm met the woman's fan. His palm strength, capable of breaking a thick wooden beam the width of a bowl, could not budge the light, paper fan. Instead, A Zhu felt a tremendous wave of force press down, and his sturdy body was sent tumbling far away like a lantern, landing in a heap on the ground. The Golden Dragon Gang burly men roared and charged forward simultaneously, pressing towards the woman like a wall, their fists and legs raining down.

The woman let out a clear whistle, and her left hand twisted strangely as she delivered a palm strike to the dozen or so men. With a dull 'boom,' the dozen or so men, each weighing over a hundred pounds, were thrown back the way they came, landing on their bottoms with loud yelps. The woman chuckled triumphantly, about to say something fitting for the occasion, when Li Feng silently moved to her side and shouted, "Hit!" He used a minuscule amount of True Qi from his 'Little Heavenly Star Palm' to strike at the woman's underarm.

With a 'whoosh,' the woman felt a fierce wind rush towards her. Startled, she hastily raised her palm to strike. With a 'bang,' Li Feng's palm expelled a surge of immense force, sending the woman tumbling backward through the air. The little lass beside her screamed, "You brat, how dare you hurt our young lady, you're tired of living!" As she yelled, she lunged forward like lightning, her orchid fingers whistling as she swung them down towards Li Feng's head.

Li Feng sneered, twisting his body and gracefully evading the woman who was still airborne. He nimbly moved his hands over her body a few times, pulling out a large wad of silver notes and a fragrant handkerchief. Li Feng tucked the silver notes into his robes, held the handkerchief aloft, and said triumphantly with a laugh, "Ha, everyone, look, look! This little brother still claims to be a man, would a man carry something like this? Ha, what a fragrant handkerchief!"

The woman's face had turned ashen, and the little lass became even more frenzied, lunging at Li Feng. Her every move exuded potent Qi, clearly indicating that the little lass's cultivation was not low. Li Feng, using the 'Heavenly Gang Steps,' easily circled the area, avoiding direct confrontation with the little lass. His hands, however, were busy reaching out here and there, touching sensitive parts of the lass's body, all the while exclaiming in mock surprise, "Alas, little brother, we're both men, what's the big deal about a touch? Why so stingy? Haha, haha, haha."

A cloud of gloom within Li Feng's heart was swept away. Since descending from Qingyun Flat, this was the first time he had laughed so heartily. He mused to himself, "It turns out I'm a born scoundrel, incapable of being a good person no matter what. Fine, then I'll happily be a bad person." With this thought, Li Feng maliciously placed a hand on the little lass's chest, gave it a firm squeeze, and then lightly floated away.

The little lass froze for a moment, then suddenly clutched her chest and squatted on the ground, bursting into tears. Her master, the young woman, had an ashen face, and the ferocity in her beautiful eyes intensified. If she hadn't known she was no match for Li Feng, she would have pounced to kill him long ago.

Li Feng said flippantly, "Hey, young master, you're looking at me like that, do you want to kill me? Do you want to fight me? Come on, fight me, why aren't you fighting? Hahaha, come kill me, what, you little coward? Don't dare? Then what are you calling yourself a man for?" Li Feng felt the faint stirrings of demonic possession again. The tragic scene of Ling Guangzi being shattered into pieces by Right Saint flashed through his mind, followed by the humiliating feeling of him foolishly hiding in the woods, afraid to show himself.

He was not a good person. When he felt humiliated, he had to vent, even if it meant building his own psychological satisfaction on the suffering of others. He wouldn't care at all. Because he was never a gentleman, never. If he felt unhappy or in pain, he would unhesitatingly inflict pain on someone else to make himself happy.

The 'Profound Stone' slowly released wisps of cold Qi, slightly calming Li Feng's emotions. Li Feng swallowed, then spat a mouthful of saliva onto the ground, disdainfully cursing, "Look at you. You think you're so great? You think you're of noble birth? That's why you dare to cross-dress and come to a brothel to watch the fun? You think you're looking down on these men who patronize prostitutes? Ha, you're truly amazing... Damn it, you even have decent martial arts, so you dare to chase and beat a group of men. You're really classy, aren't you? Are you of noble status? Are you amazing? I've just insulted you, bullied your maid, what can you do to this young master?"

Li Feng stood there, shouting with a pretentious air, "This young master is a born hooligan, surviving on the streets since childhood. You come from a prominent family, right? What can you do to this young master? This young master is barefoot and not afraid of you wearing shoes. If you have the guts, come and hit me!"

The woman's eyes were almost red with anger, especially with the countless patrons nearby cheering loudly, which made her mind a mess and left her indecisive.

The large gate of Chunyi Tower suddenly shattered into countless pieces and flew high into the air. A cold voice echoed, "Who just touched our Golden Tiger Gang members? Stand out here, and if I don't put you into ninety-nine different poses, I'm not worthy of being the Right Protector of the White Emperor Sect." A large group of men in black rushed in, led by a man in his forties, with palms as large as cattail fans and red light flashing on his fingers.

The patrons cried out in alarm and then disappeared like a receding tide. Li Feng nimbly ran to A Zhu's side and stood firm, smiling as he pointed at the woman, saying, "Hey, esteemed lords of the Golden Tiger Gang, it was this woman who beat your Golden Tiger Gang heroes. Ha, this young master just helped you teach this woman a harsh lesson, so you don't need to thank me... The Golden Dragon Gang and the Golden Tiger Gang have a neighborly relationship in Suzhou Prefecture. We see each other often, haha, no need to thank us."

A Zhu also said blankly, "That's right, our two gangs have always had a good relationship, so don't worry about such a small matter. However, this girl is quite skilled with her hands, be careful not to get bitten a few times, it wouldn't be worth it. Isn't Leader Gou still lying there? Leader Gou was fine earlier, but that little lass crying on the ground was so fierce, she kicked him unconscious with one foot, tsk tsk... Are you a master from the White Emperor Sect? Junior Li Zhu pays his respects." After saying this, he bowed deeply. A Zhu's surname was the same as Li Feng's; they had drawn lots at a temple.

The middle-aged man who called himself the Right Protector of the White Emperor Sect stared blankly at the young woman and the little lass crying on the ground for a moment, then suddenly roared, "Second Miss, why did you run out of the sect? The Sect Master sent carrier pigeons asking brothers everywhere to search for your whereabouts, and you came to Suzhou? And got into a conflict with the Golden Tiger Gang? The Golden Tiger Gang is our ally in Suzhou Prefecture, how could you..."

Li Feng and A Zhu froze for a moment. Li Feng let out a strange cry and pulled A Zhu towards the back door. The burly men of the Golden Dragon Gang, slippery as eels, seeing their hall master and his brother flee, immediately broke into a run towards the back door, not much slower than Li Feng and the others.

The Second Miss let out a sharp cry, "That skinny little scoundrel, he dared to tease this young lady and Xiao Lan, catch him and beat him soundly! Are you all stupid? Catch that tall, skinny kid, I want to skin him alive."