Liu Zihan was kneeling on the floor. As the mayor of Jiangnan City and an S-Class Esper, he would have ruled Jiangnan with an iron fist if there were no Grandmasters.
And now, he was kneeling here.
He finally understood that his little schemes meant nothing before a true powerhouse. They were hardly even worth mentioning.
Now his son had been planted headfirst into the floor, and he, as the boy's father, had swallowed his pride and begged for mercy.
"Grandmaster Chen, could you please put in a good word for me? I've served as mayor all this time. Even if I haven't made great contributions, I've certainly worked hard!"
Liu Zihan looked at Chen Tianxin, his eyes filled with pleading.
Chen Tianxin glanced at Liu Zihan, who was kneeling on the floor. Come to think of it, Liu Zihan was his colleague. When he wasn't around, Liu Zihan had been the one protecting Jiangnan City. Just as he'd said, he might not have made any great contributions, but he had worked hard.
"Ahem!"
Chen Tianxin cleared his throat, then smiled at Liu Feng. "Brother Liu, do me a favor. He's just a child. A little punishment should be enough!"
Liu Feng gave Chen Tianxin a knowing smile. "It's not that I won't do you this favor, Brother Chen. You should know that no one can insult a Grandmaster!"
"Um..." Chen Tianxin thought for a moment, then turned to Liu Zihan with a smile. "Mayor Liu, you know that no one can insult a Grandmaster, let alone Brother Liu. How about this: apologize to Brother Liu and offer him a gift. Then I'll put in a good word for you, and we'll call it even. How does that sound?"
Liu Zihan was an old hand at office politics. How could he fail to see that the two men were putting on a show? To put it plainly, they wanted something valuable!
Liu Zihan gritted his teeth, then took a herb glowing blue from the ring on his hand. A fleeting look of pain crossed his face as he shakily handed it to Liu Feng and said in a low voice,
"Minister Liu, I came across this high-grade Mortal herb by chance. I hope you'll forgive my son's ignorance!"
Liu Feng took the herb, but his gaze lingered on Liu Zihan's finger. "Mayor Liu, you've got quite a few good things. Even some Grandmasters don't have a Space Ring, yet you do!"
Liu Zihan's face changed dramatically, turning pale in an instant.
"Minister Liu, this..."
For a moment, Liu Zihan was at a loss for words.
Did Liu Feng want his Space Ring too?
He had spent a great deal of money and time to get one! Nine-tenths of his possessions were in that Space Ring.
And the Space Ring itself was worth a fortune.
"All right, Minister Liu has far-reaching vision. Why would he want your little Mortal Grade Space Ring?"
Chen Tianxin patted Liu Zihan on the shoulder, then helped him up.
"Right, Brother Liu?"
Liu Feng's eyes flickered slightly, then he smiled. "That's true!"
Only after hearing Liu Feng say that did Liu Zihan let out a small sigh of relief. He then looked at his son, whose legs were still kicking wildly in the air.
"Then my son..."
Liu Zihan looked cautiously at Liu Feng, afraid of angering him again.
He was no longer the confident man he'd been before. Now he seemed more like a lowly servant, having to watch his master's expression before doing anything.
Liu Feng waved his hand, unconcerned. "Pull him out."
At that, Liu Zihan hurriedly pulled his son from the floor, as if he'd been granted a reprieve. He channeled streams of spiritual energy into Liu Ming's body to treat his injuries.
It took a while for Liu Ming to recover and regain consciousness.
But whether the beating had damaged his brain or not, the moment he woke up, he started shouting again.
Liu Zihan immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.
Then he gave Liu Feng an awkward smile. "Minister Liu, we won't keep you. The two of us will take our leave now!"
As he spoke, he dragged his son toward the exit.
But just as Liu Zihan turned around, he heard—
"Stop!"
Liu Feng slowly stood up and said coolly,
"Did I say you could leave?"
Liu Zihan's steps faltered, and his forehead broke out in another layer of cold sweat. He looked at Liu Feng.
"Minister Liu, is there anything else you need from me?"
He was truly terrified. All he wanted was to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Wouldn't it have been better to stay home? He'd had to come here and court death. Liu Zihan wanted nothing more than to slap himself.
Now he'd offended the leader of Huaxia. His position as mayor was probably as good as gone. Plenty of people below him were eyeing his job.
Liu Zihan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Liu Feng fearfully.
Liu Feng took a few steps toward him and smiled. "You may escape the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment!"
"But I'm not bloodthirsty. I can give your son a chance!"
"What chance?"
Liu Zihan looked as if he'd grabbed a lifeline, his eyes filled with hope.
Liu Feng smiled faintly, then looked around the room. His gaze finally settled on Yang Chen.
Yang Chen froze. Why are you looking at me?
For some reason, when he saw Liu Feng's smile, a chill ran down his back. He couldn't help taking a few steps backward.
He's not going to use me, is he?
Seeing Yang Chen's reaction, Liu Feng couldn't help laughing. He pointed at Yang Chen. "Come over here for a moment!"
Yang Chen seemed to understand Liu Feng's intentions. He looked at Liu Ming, whose mouth Liu Zihan was covering. Liu Ming wanted to speak, but couldn't.
Yang Chen shook his head, then stepped over beside Liu Feng.
Fine, so you're getting me into trouble now?
What kind of master are you?
Yang Chen could only complain to himself.
Liu Zihan had noticed Yang Chen too, but Yang Chen hadn't shown his cultivation, so even Liu Zihan couldn't tell what level he was at.
Still, seeing how young Yang Chen was, Liu Zihan felt a little more at ease.
"All right. Let your son fight him. If he can beat him, I'll take your son as my disciple!"
Liu Zihan's eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked, "Minister Liu, do you mean that?"
"I do!"
Liu Zihan's breathing grew heavy, his chest rising and falling. He hadn't expected that he might still have such an opportunity!
He looked at his son, brimming with confidence. Without a second thought, he accepted.
"Good!"
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