Chapter 476: The Summons of Wang Ji

For a period after that, things were quiet, though the Cheng Mansion did attract a wave of thieves.

To call them thieves, however, is not entirely accurate.

While these people were nimble enough at scaling walls and entering homes, once they stepped into the Cheng Mansion, that unmistakable air of underworld banditry leaked out completely.

Some were scouting, some were pathfinding, and two even had the gall to sneak directly into the Rear Courtyard.

Perhaps they had heard the rumors of the Cheng Mansion being filled with wives and Concubines and wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Cheng Feng thought as much.

After all, those leaders were not low in their Martial Dao cultivation.

They were all Martial Artists of the Organ Refining Realm.

In the past, it would have been quite troublesome for Cheng Feng to deal with them; if they ran, he might not have been able to catch them.

If he had exposed the combat power of his Flood Dragon Body, the commotion might have been too great.

But now, Cheng Feng could not even be bothered to ask about their origins.

The first tall, thin man to sneak in had not even managed to draw the short blade at his waist before Cheng Feng slapped him on the forehead.

The man's head spun three full circles before his body slumped down limply; he died without ever seeing who had killed him.

The second, the third, the fourth... seven or eight waves of people came one after another, and they all met the same end.

Cheng Feng acted cleanly and efficiently, never leaving a survivor. After finishing, he would casually store the corpses in his Storage Ring, leave the city under the cover of night, take a trip to the desolate mountains and ridges, and feed the bodies to wild wolves and vultures, returning before dawn.

He did not report to the authorities, nor did he make a scene, as if he had merely swatted a few annoying flies.

In this world, when a few people die without explanation, the government is too lazy to investigate, and the underworld is too lazy to ask.

What's more, these people had come for the Cheng Mansion themselves; if they failed, they deserved it, and no one would stand up for them.

But the head of Liehuo Fawang was different.

With a bounty of four hundred thousand Silver, the paperwork at the Heimu Prefecture Fuya was handled cleanly and efficiently.

Verifying the identity, handing over the merit, and issuing the reward—the entire process took no more than three days.

Cheng Feng collected the silver and returned to the mansion without changing his expression.

But could it really end so easily?

He wanted to keep a low profile, but things simply would not allow him to.

Who was Liehuo Fawang?

He was one of the Four Great Dharma Kings of the Red Lotus Sect, a genuine Martial Artist of the Gang Qi Realm.

The Red Lotus Sect had turned the east of Great Zhou upside down, relying on these four Dharma Kings to hold the four directions, suppressing both the Imperial Court and local forces so they could not lift their heads.

The reputation of the Four Great Dharma Kings was three parts louder among the common people than some high-ranking officials of the Imperial Court.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had been offering a bounty for the heads of the four Dharma Kings for three years, with the reward rising from one hundred thousand all the way to four hundred thousand, yet to this day, no one had been able to take even one.

And now, Liehuo Fawang was dead.

Dead at the hands of an unknown young man.

On the day the news spread, every teahouse and restaurant in the entire Heimu Prefecture City was discussing this matter.

Storytellers worked through the night to write scripts, depicting Cheng Feng as a peerless fierce general, eight feet tall with a broad waist.

Some believed it, some did not, but more were secretly calculating—who exactly was this Cheng Feng?

The front lines of Great Zhou were in turmoil, with the wars in the west and east being a complete mess.

The lords in the imperial court were overwhelmed, yet unexpectedly, one of the Four Great Dharma Kings had been slaughtered in the rear.

When this news reached the front lines, even the Great General commanding the troops was stunned for a long time, then cursed loudly—"Damn it, I'm fighting for my life on the front lines, and I haven't killed as satisfyingly as some greenhorn in the rear?"

Cursing aside, the eyes of all parties eventually turned in unison toward Heimu Prefecture, toward that young man named Cheng Feng.

Forces with some strength began to formally size up this guy who had suddenly appeared.

The name Cheng Feng was unknown three months ago. In just three months, he had gone from an obscure small character to someone who could slay a Martial Artist of the Gang Qi Realm. The implications of this were too profound.

Either he had an expert guiding him from behind the scenes, or he held some incredible opportunity in his hands.

Either way, it was enough to make those great families and major forces, accustomed to controlling everything, develop the urge to get to the bottom of it.

The City Lord of Heimu Prefecture sent a congratulatory note, the wording so polite it was almost sycophantic.

The Imperial Guard also uncharacteristically sent a Hundred-Household official to visit, claiming to verify some details, but actually testing Cheng Feng's background.

Even several long-standing noble families of Heimu Prefecture sent spies to probe for information.

The business of the tea stalls around the Cheng Mansion surged threefold overnight, all filled with underworld figures pretending to sip tea and chat, yet their eyes were sharper than ever.

Cheng Feng was well aware of this, but he couldn't be bothered to pay attention. He continued as he always did: eating when it was time to eat, practicing his martial arts, and tending to his own affairs.

As for those guys peeking around the Cheng Mansion, as long as they didn't climb the walls, he acted as if he didn't see them. Those who did climb the walls would naturally have the beasts of the desolate mountains and ridges to collect their corpses.

With his body refinement complete, Cheng Feng, now with the combat power of the Gang Qi Realm, feared nothing.

But he had miscalculated one person.

Wang Ji, Zhou Yanran.

When that Wangfu attendant, dressed in a green shirt with a refined face, stood at the gate of the Cheng Mansion and handed over that gold-stamped invitation, Cheng Feng was practicing his blade in the Rear Courtyard.

The blade intent of the River-Severing Blade Technique surged within him; with one strike, a three-zhang-long deep trench was plowed into the bluestone tiles of the courtyard by the invisible blade Qi.

Before the blade intent dissipated, the attendant's voice came from behind, neither humble nor pushy, but carrying a reserve that would not be refused.

"Warrior Cheng, Wang Ji summons you."

Cheng Feng's blade paused in mid-air. He turned slowly, looking at the green-clad attendant, neither taking the invitation nor speaking, just staring straight at the other party.

The attendant felt a chill down his back under that gaze, but he braced himself to maintain a respectful posture, holding the invitation out with both hands.

Cheng Feng did not take the invitation, only asking indifferently: "Which Wang Ji?"

The corner of the green-clad attendant's mouth twitched, likely having never seen anyone dare to ask such a question, but he suppressed his temper and replied: "Naturally, it is the Great Wang Ji of the Zhennan Prince Mansion, Her Highness Zhou Yanran."

Cheng Feng narrowed his eyes.

"It is her."

During the battle where Dharma King Liehuo was heavily wounded, Zhou Yanran was also present. It was precisely she who unleashed her trump card Sword to severely injure Dharma King Liehuo.

As for Cheng Feng, he had intercepted and killed the Dharma King after he had fled in a heavily wounded state, picking up a massive windfall.

Now, the aggrieved party has come knocking.

Cheng Feng quickly calculated in his mind. Since Wang Ji has summoned him, it is impossible not to go.

But as for what to say,

that will depend on the specific situation.

"Understood, lead the way."