The Family's Insult

Hearing this naked mockery, Catherine's expression changed at once. She shot up from her chair and looked toward the owner of the voice—it was none other than the noble young master who had just called out the sky-high price of eighty thousand gold coins.

"Tsk, tsk! What? Did I say something wrong? The God-Descendant Count did indeed have his glory back then, but what is he now? Nothing more than a fierce beast already diseased to the marrow, barely clinging on and refusing to die. In a few more years, I'd say you people will barely be able to afford food, yet you still come here pretending to be grand! Your eldest son was born trash, Derek can't even reach ninth-level strength, a whole family of garbage!" Facing Catherine's furious gaze, the noble young master did not care in the slightest. He kept waving his folding fan, his face filled with a disdainful smile as he spoke.

"You..." Catherine's delicate body trembled with anger. Although there was no denying that what this noble young master said was the truth, for the particular pride of someone born into the Palister Family, such a truth was something she could never accept no matter what.

Unfortunately, Catherine was, after all, a girl—and a young girl at that. Though she had already begun managing the family business over the past few years, because of her personality, she had no experience at all in handling matters like this. On top of that, no matter how far the Palister Family had declined, in York County it was still a godlike existence. Which local resident did not treat her with princess-like respect when they saw her? When had she ever suffered such ridicule?

She wanted to make a move and teach this fellow a lesson, but seeing those tall men beside the noble young master, who seemed to be his attendants, Catherine did not have that kind of courage. Nor could she find any words to refute him. She was so angry she was about to cry, while in her heart she gnashed her teeth all the harder in hatred of that trash cousin of hers.

If she had not suspected this fellow was coming to York Town again to do some beastly thing, why would she have secretly followed him over? In the end, she had not brought a single attendant, and instead had to suffer this kind of grievance.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became; the angrier she became, the more wronged she felt. Catherine's eyes could not help reddening slightly, and her little mouth pouted high. Now that her usual arrogance and willfulness were gone, she instead looked somewhat pitiful and moving.

Catherine was already beautiful to begin with, and with this little-girl expression added on, the noble young master's eyes could not help going slightly fixed. A trace of lewd light rose in his gaze as he teased, "You little chick are quite pretty, too. Tsk, tsk! How about this? Why don't you leave the Palister Family and become this young master's maid? I'll treat this pet egg as a meeting gift for you. If the Palister Family relies on sending out women from time to time, I guarantee your family can still exist for a while longer!"

After saying this, the noble young master could no longer hold back and burst into loud laughter, while some of the attendants around him joined in with a roar of laughter. For a time, the auction house was filled with mocking and lewd laughter.

"You, you..." This noble young lady, who in York County could also be considered a favored daughter of heaven, had never experienced such a scene. She became even more unable to speak, and her delicate body trembled all the harder with anger. At last, for the first time in her life, she discovered that the family status she had always taken pride in was not as high and lofty as she had imagined.

"You what? Don't get so worked up. At worst, I'll dote on you properly tonight!" Looking at Catherine's tall figure, made even more alluring by her trembling, the noble young master's eyeballs nearly fell out, and the lewdness on his face grew thicker.

"Send your mother, your aunt, your older sister, your younger sister, your niece, your uncle's wife, your paternal grandmother, your maternal grandmother, and every other woman in your family to the Palister Family as maids, and I can forgive the rudeness you just showed the Palister Family!"

Just as Catherine had completely lost her bearings and could only burst into loud sobs before turning to flee, a gentle yet crude voice suddenly rang out. Then a young man with rare light-blue long hair, delicate features, and a mild smile on his face—but with somewhat blood-red eyes and a violent aura radiating from head to toe—flashed to Catherine's side. It was precisely Liu Feng.

Liu Feng had no good feelings toward Catherine, and he likewise had not the slightest good impression of that Count's Mansion in Ama City. So, this noble young master could insult Catherine, and he could insult the Count's Mansion; Liu Feng could endure all of that. The one thing he could not endure was an insult to the entire Palister Family.

After inheriting Nicholas's body, bloodline, and all his memories, Liu Feng had long since, invisibly, acknowledged that he was a member of the Palister Family. Especially outside the gates of the Count's Mansion, after seeing the proud bearing and former glory of the family's first head, Haojue Palister, Liu Feng felt an inexplicable reverence toward the Palister Family.

That was a kind of honor, a kind of belonging, a kind of self-respect! Toward the Palister Family, Liu Feng held a childlike attachment, a worship, just like the feelings he had held for his motherland in his previous life. And now, someone actually dared to act wildly here and insult it—how could he possibly endure it?

Seeing that this foul-mouthed fellow actually dared speak to him like this, the noble young master first froze, then instantly flew into a rage. "What the hell do you think you are, daring to speak to this young master like that!"

And with the noble young master's movement, the surrounding attendants abruptly stood as well. Some even drew their weapons, glaring angrily at Liu Feng. For a time, the auction house was filled with the taste of drawn swords and bent crossbows.

"Good! So it's you again, brat. We haven't even settled the account from last time!"

With the words, a middle-aged man wearing an earth-yellow mage's robe suddenly flashed out from behind the noble young master. A fierce light shot from his sinister eyes as he stared fixedly at Liu Feng.

Only then did Liu Feng finally see clearly that the attendants beside this noble young master were actually familiar faces. They were the mercenaries who had fought with him outside the weapon shop last time. However, the tall warrior Eli, whom he had injured last time, was not among them, which was why Liu Feng had not recognized this group of fellows right away.

Seeing that his subordinates actually knew this young man, the noble young master froze. At this moment, the middle-aged man quietly leaned in and, beside the noble young master's ear, quickly recounted in a low voice what had happened that day.

Hearing that this seemingly somewhat frail young man had injured Eli, who had fourth-level strength, in a single move, a sharp light flashed in the noble young master's eyes. He said in a low voice again, "Who exactly are you, sir?"

A gentle smile appeared once more on Liu Feng's face, but the chill in his eyes grew even more intense. He said softly, "I am also a member of that Palister Family you look down on. Moreover, I'm that trash eldest son you spoke of!"

At this point, ignoring the shocked crowd, Liu Feng pulled from his chest the white glove nobles often wore and threw it straight at the noble young master, saying coldly, "Now, I, this piece of trash, challenge you to a duel. If you're still a fucking man, then come outside with me!" With that, he no longer even looked at the noble young master. He grabbed Catherine, whose face was a mix of shock, confusion, and countless other expressions, and walked outside...