"That really was a great beauty, but you should focus on your work first. If you accidentally lose a finger, who knows whether Miss Xing'er will like someone with a missing finger..."
Chu Feng paid no attention and replied with a chuckle. Suddenly, he saw Li Zhenshan's face turn black as the bottom of a pot and hurriedly added,
"Master Li, I'm just educating my disciple. Please don't take it to heart!"
Li Zhenshan left with a dark expression.
He had arrived late and hadn't heard what Chu Feng said earlier. He had only caught the words "missing finger."
If Chu Feng hadn't explained in time, he really would have shown the other man just how formidable someone with a missing finger could be.
"Master, you should rest first. I won't let my thoughts run wild again." Chen Shi Tou knew he was in the wrong and could only offer these conciliatory words.
"Study hard. If you have talent, I can teach you a real skill that will let you make a living!"
Chu Feng walked leisurely toward the restaurant's back courtyard.
"Master, I'll work hard..." Chen Shi Tou was quick-witted and caught the meaning behind Chu Feng's words.
Could his master possess some other hidden skill besides that astonishingly superb butchering technique?
After the midday mealtime, the restaurant finally gained a brief moment of respite.
"Master, I'll take you somewhere good." During this rare free time, Chen Shi Tou did not go rest. Instead, he came to find Chu Feng with a mysterious air.
"Where?" Curiosity showed in Chu Feng's eyes.
"You'll know when you come." Chen Shi Tou refused to say and kept him in suspense.
Helpless, Chu Feng could only follow.
They left the restaurant through the back door, crossed the main street, passed through narrow alleys, and walked for roughly the time it took to burn one incense stick before finally reaching their destination.
It was an open stretch of ground with no buildings anywhere around it.
A stage the size of a house had been erected there.
A charming woman stood on the stage, moving with lotus-like steps as the long water sleeves in her hands fluttered like clouds and rosy mists.
Her brows and eyes were as exquisite as a painting, while a red cinnabar mole at the corner of her rosy lips added three parts of bewitching allure.
Her small, cherry-red mouth sang softly.
"Yi ya—de'er wei..."
Her voice was playful yet seductive, making people involuntarily feel a surge of tender affection.
When the song ended, thunderous applause erupted. Everyone watching, men and women, young and old, excitedly clapped their hands red.
Pointing at the woman standing in the center of the stage, Chen Shi Tou said proudly,
"Master, I was right, wasn't I? Miss Xing'er is the most beautiful woman under heaven."
"And she has the kindest heart, too. She had already finished performing at the Wang Family's birthday celebration, yet she deliberately came to South City to sing onstage for us common folk. Her heart is truly that of a Bodhisattva..."
Chen Shi Tou's gaze at the charming woman onstage was filled with fervent adoration.
Chu Feng studied her carefully for a few moments. The woman was indeed beautiful.
Still, Chu Feng always felt that a strange air lurked beneath her beauty, as if she wore a false outer shell and everything about her were fake.
The charming woman onstage parted her cherry-red lips slightly. A stream of red gas invisible to everyone else rose from the audience and was drawn into her mouth.
In an instant, Chu Feng also felt dazed. But then the Vajra Mingwang Diagram of his physical body flashed and vanished, clearing his mind and restoring him at once.
"Oh?" Chu Feng's unusualness caught the charming woman's attention.
After the opera ended, Miss Xing'er descended from the stage with graceful, lotus-like steps.
When Chen Shi Tou saw her, he waved and shouted,
"Miss Xing'er, you sang wonderfully!"
That shout actually succeeded in attracting Xing'er's attention. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes turned toward him, seeming like two pools of autumn water, making people's hearts tremble upon contact.
"Little brother, you came..."
Unexpectedly, Miss Xing'er actually walked over.
Chen Shi Tou was flattered beyond belief. Many people had shouted like that before, but Miss Xing'er had never noticed them, much less personally come over to greet them.
For a moment, countless gazes turned toward them, most of them unfriendly.
"I... I..."
Chen Shi Tou's face flushed as red as a monkey's backside, and he stammered without knowing what to say.
Xing'er ignored Chen Shi Tou's embarrassment and instead looked at Chu Feng. "And this is?"
Chen Shi Tou hurriedly introduced him. "This is my master. My master's butchering knife technique is incredibly powerful..."
"So he's a butcher..."
A young noble dressed in splendid robes immediately grew arrogant.
"Miss Xing'er, why bother with these two butchers? With your delicate and bewitching body, don't let them soil you."
The richly dressed youth held a folding fan in one hand while his other hand lecherously reached for Xing'er's jade-like hand.
"Miss Xing'er, I, Wang Linghe, chased you here from the Wang Family. My sincerity can be seen by heaven and earth! Just come with me!"
"Hehe... Young Master, this humble one has no intention of marrying..."
"This young master, may I ask your honored name?" Xing'er slipped sideways to evade the richly dressed young master's greasy paw and looked at Chu Feng with deep feeling.
Her seductive gaze, paired with her soft, syrupy voice, made everyone present feel their bones go weak and their souls drift into a daze.
"A country bumpkin from the wilderness—I'm unworthy of such an address from Miss. Shi Tou, let's go." Chu Feng remained unmoved and answered indifferently.
"Huh?"
Chen Shi Tou hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave. But when he saw the stern look in his master's eyes, he could only depart, still unable to resist looking back three times with every step.
The look Xing'er gave Chu Feng turned solemn. This thin boy had actually managed to resist her art of seduction?
Wang Linghe's gaze at Chu Feng, meanwhile, was filled with gloom. He signaled to the two servants behind him, and the three of them secretly followed Chu Feng.
After the two of them left the area around the opera stage, Chu Feng spoke first. "There's something wrong with Miss Xing'er. You should forget about her."
Along the way, Chu Feng carefully observed Chen Shi Tou and found that part of his vital essence and spirit seemed to have been drained. His entire person looked listless and sickly.
Yet the boy himself was completely unaware, still thinking about Xing'er's enchanting figure onstage.
"Why?" After hearing Chu Feng's words, Chen Shi Tou reacted violently, actually meeting Chu Feng's gaze without the slightest respect.
"She's strange. She isn't a respectable woman!"
Chu Feng said this blandly and offered no further explanation. His gaze shifted toward the distance.
Wang Linghe was approaching them with two servants, advancing menacingly.
As he walked, he cursed, "You two dirt-legged peasants, how dare you ruin Young Master's good deed!"
"Beat them to death! If they die, Young Master will reward you."
They were nothing more than two butchers. Even if they were beaten to death, it would not cause any trouble.
The two servant followers' eyes lit up when they heard this.
They strode toward Chu Feng without the slightest hesitation. Such decisive movements clearly showed that this was not their first time doing something like this.
"Master, run! I'll hold them off."
Chen Shi Tou gritted his teeth, stepped in front of Chu Feng, and shouted.
How could Chu Feng possibly run?
He pushed Chen Shi Tou aside and, under the other man's puzzled gaze, slowly walked forward.
"Bang! Bang!"
With merely two casual punches, the two servants curled up like boiled shrimp, clutching their stomachs as they collapsed.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to be a martial artist."
Wang Linghe folded up his fan and said with great interest.
Before you continue