Return to Yong'an City

The heavy rain had stopped, the dark clouds had dispersed, and a rainbow appeared across the clear sky.

Just like Chu Feng's life, after the storm, the road ahead would surely be smooth sailing.

With a thought, the muscles on Chu Feng's face shifted, and his originally refined features became utterly ordinary.

At the same time, his body contracted, turning him into a skinny beanpole.

If he put on a set of tattered clothes and mixed in with a crowd of beggars, even those closest to him would not recognize him.

This was the Muscle Control he had obtained at the cost of five years of his lifespan.

Chu Feng could also inflate his muscles and turn himself into a burly man, but in this dynasty's final years, with famine-stricken people everywhere and disasters year after year, a strong physique would attract too much attention. It was better to be thin and inconspicuous.

With the Fang Family's influence, his portrait might already be plastered all over the streets and alleys. Now that he had the ability to alter his appearance, hiding in the shadows and secretly growing stronger suited him perfectly.

With that thought, Chu Feng leaped down and returned the way he had come.

Most of the people hunting him were only at the Late Skin Grinding Stage. Now that many were dead or wounded, the survivors had probably already fled back to the Fang Family.

Besides, Chu Feng's appearance had changed drastically, so he traveled without the slightest restraint.

He was going to play a round of hiding under the very lantern. The Fang Family would never imagine that a mere servant would actually dare return to Yong'an City!

Yong'an City, Fang Manor.

"Young Master, that Chu Feng is truly formidable. He actually killed Steward Chen and more than a dozen brothers." A guard who had fled back in panic knelt before a richly dressed youth.

This person was Eldest Young Master Fang, and also Fang Jian Xing, The Fang Family's Sole Heir of Three Generations.

Fang Jian Xing had handsome, well-defined features, inheriting the fine looks of a wealthy family.

At this moment, his brows were raised high, and his expression was icy cold.

He swept out a hand, and the guard delivering the news was lifted as if by a gale before smashing heavily into the wall. He fainted before he could even let out a scream.

He had never taken a mere household slave seriously. He had thought his men would bring back the man's head within a short while.

He had not expected them to bring back news that every guard had been killed. How could that not make him furious?

"Where is Gao Han?" Fang Jian Xing asked coldly.

"Young Master." A burly, sharp-eyed middle-aged man walked out.

He had once been the chief constable of Yong'an City, and his violent temper was famous.

Once, he had gotten drunk and caused trouble, beating the tavern owner and his entire family of five to death. He was supposed to be executed by the authorities after autumn, but the Fang Family's head had valued his talent, used his connections to rescue him, and made him an Attendant of the Fang Family.

Now, this famous hot-tempered constable of Yong'an City was exceptionally meek and deferential before the Eldest Young Master of the Fang Family.

"Within three days, I want the head of the servant who stole the Fang Manor's treasures. Can Elder Gao do it?"

Fang Jian Xing stared directly into Gao Han's eyes and spoke seriously.

To conceal the secret of his infidelity, he had casually fabricated a lie. He was only a servant, after all; no one would care whether the story was true.

"Rest assured, Young Master. Within three days, I will definitely bring back the head of that traitorous slave!" Gao Han thumped his chest and issued his military pledge.

His original profession had been that of a constable, and pursuing criminals was his forte. Naturally, he dared to make such a boast!

Fang Jian Xing nodded in satisfaction. "This is only a minor matter. Your performance in the Fang Family over these years has been clear for all to see. My Fang Family will never mistreat meritorious servants!"

As he spoke, he took a pill from his pocket. "I heard you have already reached the Muscle Tendon Realm. This is a Muscle Tendon Pill. It can greatly increase the speed of your cultivation."

"Thank you, Young Family Master. I shall devote myself to the Fang Family until my dying breath!"

Gao Han dropped to one knee and tremblingly accepted the pill, a trace of wild joy flashing through his eyes.

"Your grace in recognizing my worth is difficult to repay. I can only grind that traitorous slave's bones to dust and scatter his ashes, to dispel the hatred in the Young Family Master's heart." Gao Han spoke excitedly.

The last time he had been this excited was two years ago, when he had been bestowed the Tiger Demon Body Tempering Art's Muscle Tendon Chapter.

Without pills to assist his cultivation, advancing was simply too difficult. With this Muscle Tendon Pill, he was confident he could reach the middle stage of the Muscle Tendon Realm within three months.

Looking at Gao Han's expression, Fang Jian Xing was very pleased.

Gao Han was only in his thirties, yet he had reached the Muscle Tendon Realm. He could be considered a talent.

This series of maneuvers would certainly make him utterly devoted to Fang Jian Xing. When Fang Jian Xing inherited the Fang Family in the future, Gao Han would also become a powerful general under his command.

The closer Chu Feng got to the city gate, the more people there were.

Many refugees fleeing the famine appeared. Their clothes were tattered, their faces sallow and emaciated, and they staggered toward the city gate.

A couple held their newborn baby and gazed at the mottled city walls just ahead, hope shining in their eyes.

The crying baby's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. It struggled to suckle the milk that had long since dried up, coaxing itself to sleep.

Chu Feng's expression remained indifferent. He had seen similar scenes countless times.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had stood for a thousand years, and its governing institutions had long since rotted. Various bureaucratic interest groups squeezed and exploited the common people at the bottom without restraint. If this had not been a transcendent martial world, the dynasty would have been overthrown by disaster victims countless times already.

He had heard that the earth dragon had turned over in the north, causing river channels to collapse and change course. As a result, many commoners could not fill their stomachs and had no choice but to flee their homes. These people were probably among them.

Chu Feng casually found the corpse of a refugee by the roadside and changed out of his household guard uniform into tattered hemp cloth.

Then he followed the flow of people, step by step, toward the city gate.

"Take out your travel documents in advance. Don't waste time..."

On either side of the city gate, the soldiers leaned crookedly against their spears and dozed off. They had been standing for five or six shichen and were already exhausted.

Every one of them looked dispirited, and they checked travel documents perfunctorily. Sometimes, they let people through without even looking at them.

Chu Feng casually found a yellow sheet of paper that looked almost genuine, waved it around, and prepared to pass through.

"Wait..."

At that exact moment, the bleary-eyed older soldier opened his eyes and immediately called out to Chu Feng.

Seeing this, Chu Feng cursed inwardly, These dog eyes are sharp!

But Chu Feng did not panic. He had prepared a backup plan long ago.

He walked unhurriedly up to the soldier and quietly placed one liang of silver in his palm.

The older soldier weighed it discreetly, then smiled. "Go on in. By curfew tonight, you must find a place to stay. Otherwise, you'll be treated as a rebel!"

He had mistaken Chu Feng for a refugee who had come to Yong'an City to seek refuge with relatives. There were many people like that, and they had brought him plenty of extra income.

Chu Feng nodded slightly and strode into the city.

Behind Chu Feng was the couple holding the baby. Unsurprisingly, they were stopped.

"My lord, please, have mercy. Our child has been hungry for so long." The woman held the feeble infant high in her arms and pleaded through her tears.

"Go... go! No one without a travel document is allowed in. Do you want me to knowingly break the law?"

The older soldier remained unmoved. His expression was grim as he ordered two young soldiers to drag them aside.

The two young soldiers rarely encountered such scenes, and their hearts softened. Their movements carried a trace of hesitation.

A vicious look flashed across the older soldier's face. He immediately kicked the man in the couple, sending him sprawling to the side.

When the woman saw her husband beaten, she did not dare argue any further. Crying and shouting, she pulled him away.

After order was restored, the older soldier called the two younger men over and said sternly:

"Are you trying to get yourselves killed? You just let them in openly like that—what will the other refugees think? Do you want them to storm the city gate?"

"By then, even if you had ten heads, it still wouldn't be enough to cut them all off!"

Chu Feng did not turn around. There were too many suffering people in this world.

Was he not one of them?

He had no right to pity anyone else!