Chapter 44: Pacifying the Local Tyrant

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Feng Zi walked very slowly, but before him, no more members of the Sun Family stepped out to block his path—

Those people had all fallen on the road he traveled, and the flowing fresh blood submerged the ground.

Up to this very moment, in Feng Zi's perception, only one aura remained in the vast Sun Family residence; the owner of that aura was naturally Sun Min.

As for the "ancestor hidden behind the scenes" type of character he had worried about, such a person did not actually exist.

Even the head of the Sun Family, that middle-aged man who seemed to have no mind of his own, had fallen in a pool of blood.

All they had sought was to drag out Feng Zi's pace and win an opportunity for the only Martial Master in the family.

Finally, surrounded by the scent of blood he did not like, Feng Zi arrived at the main hall of the Sun Family and saw Sun Min sitting upright in the seat of honor.

"Was it not said... that the Young Master was suffering from an ailment? Your complexion seems quite good, sir."

Feng Zi looked at the fully armored man, slung the precious bow in his hand onto his back, and said leisurely:

Regardless of how much water there was in Sun Min's strength, the opponent was, after all, a genuine Martial Master; there would always be one or two desperate measures up his sleeve.

When dealing with such an enemy, no matter how much he despised them in his heart, Feng Zi would always give his all.

Under these circumstances, archery, which served as a means of support and concealment, was naturally of no use.

"You are but a mere passerby; why must you oppose me at every turn?"

Sun Min slowly stood up, the plates of his armor clashing against each other, emitting a crisp clattering sound.

Why, indeed? To Feng Zi, this was also an important question.

Perhaps it was because he felt pity for the people of Daishan County, or perhaps he could not stand the Sun Family's wanton tyranny.

But these were all just appearances; the essential reason was perhaps very simple—

"There is no other reason... it is simply because you, and the actions of your Sun Family, make me very unhappy," Feng Zi replied casually.

At this answer, Sun Min's face was full of disbelief: "Just for this reason? You killed so many people just to clear your mind?"

If one were to listen only to the dialogue between the two, it would seem that Feng Zi was the one who was the heinous villain.

One wonders who it was that monopolized the salt mine resources of Daishan County, and who it was that wantonly killed innocent commoners without cause!

Of course, facing this dying man, Feng Zi naturally had no interest in debating with him, and just said casually:

"As far as I know, Brother Hanwen has always been a man of cultivation; that you could force him to fight his way out does that not just prove that your Sun Family's character is poor?"

Things having reached this point, Feng Zi naturally had no interest in hiding his background, and took the opportunity to launch a personal attack on Sun Min.

Hearing these words, no matter how dull Sun Min was, he had by now figured out the cause and effect.

The opponent pointed at Feng Zi subconsciously, surprised: "How do you know those two fierce gods? Are you also from Wutai County?!"

To this, Feng Zi just grinned: "Did I not say so? The friendship between the three of us is quite good."

Before his words had even faded, his figure lunged in front of Sun Min, and he smashed a fist toward the opponent's chest!

Sun Min was worthy of being a Martial Master; even when facing Feng Zi's sudden attack, he could only barely raise his hands to respond, yet he still retreated several steps under the force of that blow.

This strike from Feng Zi was naturally just a probe, but it truly tested the opponent's caliber:

"If a Martial Artist wishes to reach the Martial Master realm, they must practice tirelessly, and must constantly spar with other Martial Artists to make up for their own deficiencies; even Brother Hanwen is no exception.

"Therefore, even in their dreams, a Martial Master will instinctively respond to or evade danger.

"But from you, sir, I cannot see this at all—your Martial Master cultivation must not have been attained through your own hard work, right?"

With just one punch, Feng Zi perceived that the Sun Min before him had a thick store of Qi and Blood Power, but in reality, he was completely unable to mobilize it effectively.

This kind of "forced growth" cultivation could only scare Martial Artists whose strength was far inferior to his own; it could not deal with a Martial Artist of the same rank at all!

Hearing such a sharp and insightful critique, Sun Min's expression changed drastically: "Impossible... to have such insight, you cannot possibly be just a Martial Artist at Great Accomplishment!"

Seeing the opponent so shocked, Feng Zi laughed loudly, then pressed forward again, and threw another punch:

"When traveling abroad, one must always hide some means; is what the eye sees necessarily the truth? Is Young Master Sun really so naive?"

Sun Min scrambled to parry, and could not help but retreat several more steps.

The table behind the opponent could not support his weight and broke into two halves in an instant.

After only two moves, Sun Min understood that he was definitely no match for Feng Zi; his eyes darted around uncontrollably, wanting to find a glimmer of survival.

Feng Zi naturally saw all of this, and took the initiative to attack, forcing the opponent to have no time to think of anything else:

"Young Master Sun, do not think of those little tricks anymore—in terms of strength, you are far inferior to me; in terms of movement technique, you are also not my match.

"I advise you, you might as well burn your bridges and fight me with all your might; perhaps there is still a glimmer of survival!"

But even so, did Sun Min really have that so-called "glimmer of survival"?

In Feng Zi's view, for a hothouse flower that had never experienced real combat, there was absolutely no such possibility.

But if he did not ignite the opponent's will to survive, would it not just be one-sided "bullying the weak"? He did not want that.

Of course, this had nothing to do with the situation or the consequences; it was just some small, wicked amusement in Feng Zi's heart.

Under Feng Zi's storm-like offensive, Sun Min was left struggling to defend, and the armor on his body could not withstand his might.

Under these circumstances, the words Feng Zi said gradually took root and grew in the opponent's heart, controlling Sun Min's consciousness like a heart demon.

The opponent could not help but think: "That's right, my Sun Family has been rooted in Daishan County for generations; fleeing is death, it is better to fight to the death, and there is still a glimmer of survival!"

But even so, a Sun Min who had turned vicious was nothing to fear.

In Feng Zi's view, this kind of flowery display that had not undergone real combat had no threat, even if he risked his life:

In less than ten rounds, Sun Min collapsed to the ground covered in wounds, and the bones in his limbs had all been broken by Feng Zi!

Feng Zi stood before Sun Min, looking down at him from above: "As recognition for your fighting to the death, I give you two choices—

"The first is to stretch out your neck and accept the blade, to receive a swift death;

"But if you still wish to linger on, there is another choice: I will take you before the people of Daishan County and let them decide your life or death."

Let the public opinion of Daishan County decide his life or death?

Hearing this choice, Sun Min subconsciously shivered:

The Sun Family had done so many scoundrelly deeds and caused the deaths of so many people; he knew that better than anyone.

If he were to fall into the hands of the common people... Sun Min dared not even imagine that scene!

Therefore, he glared at Feng Zi and said firmly, "I hope you can keep your word—give me a quick death!"

Feng Zi felt not the slightest bit surprised by this answer: "Very well, I shall grant your wish."

Having said that, he slowly drew the hunting knife from his waist.