Chapter 78: First Volume, Chapter 78: Encouraging People to Do Good

First Volume, Chapter 78: Encouraging People to Do Good

While Long Batian and the others were stunned, the Qin Residence Protectors had already formed a tight circle around Qin Feng.

Looking at Qin Feng so close at hand, Long Batian knew clearly: only by eliminating the woman before him could he seize Qin Feng! He gritted his teeth, leapt into the air, and swung his blade toward Shu Feng.

Shu Feng's eyes flickered with disdain: "Such a large motion—every part of you is an opening. How in the world did you become Gang Leader with this level of skill?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shu Feng dropped low, sidestepped the blade, then raised his right leg high, forming a perfect straddle, and delivered a heavy kick to Long Batian's abdomen.

The massive, burly Long Batian was flung sideways, crashing into and knocking down two of his henchmen beside him.

One move decided victory—that was the difference between a Practitioner and a thug.

If Long Batian was this easily defeated, the remaining henchmen lost all will to fight.

Qin Feng watched Long Batian slowly, unsteadily rising to his feet, squinted, and smiled lightly: "Non-official, armed with a weapon, committing violence on the street—according to the Da Liang Lüli, you may be executed on the spot without prior report."

Clutching his churning stomach, Long Batian stared at Shu Feng—powerful, nearly invincible—and realized he had lost even his final chance to fight to the death. His strength drained away; the Nine-Ring Blade clattered to the ground.

At this point, only death awaited Long Batian. Driven by instinct for survival, he forgot about Gao Song beside him—anger had been utterly replaced by fear. He begged repeatedly: "Young Master Qin, please treat me like a fart and let me go!"

Qin Feng's face still wore a smile, as if he had never known what "anger" meant—even after being attacked just now with a blade: "When begging for mercy, you must at least look like you're begging."

At these words, Long Batian jerked as if shocked, fell to his knees with a thud, and began banging his head frantically: "Please, Young Master Qin, show mercy! Spare this humble man's life!"

Qin Feng glanced at the other Longhu Gang members present, feigning surprise: "What? Are you planning to stand your ground against me?"

Only then did the Longhu Gang henchmen snap out of their daze, dropping their sticks and falling to their knees in a loud, sweeping wave.

"We were blind to Taishan's greatness! We beg Young Master Qin for your magnanimity—spare our dog lives!"

Qin Feng was no bloodthirsty executioner, and killing these lowly thugs offered no benefit whatsoever.

But letting them go outright was not Qin Feng's nature.

After careful thought, Qin Feng devised a plan: he ordered the Protectors to bring paper and ink, distributed them, and fetched the Da Liang Code.

"Each of you will copy the Criminal Law Volume of the Da Liang Code ten times. Only after completion may you leave."

Then Qin Feng called over a Protector who could read: "You stay here and supervise. Check their copies carefully. Miss one character, copy it again. Only when every copy is perfect may they leave."

Instantly, the crowd erupted in wails.

Long Batian and the others were used to Hengxing Badou—they had no patience for reading or writing. Copying the Da Liang Code was more painful than fifty lashes. But seeing Qin Feng's "well-intentioned" effort to encourage them toward goodness, they dared not complain, and instead bent low, scribbling furiously at the Da Liang Code.

Gao Song's face turned green; his fists clenched with a crunching sound, his whole body trembling violently.

He stormed forward and kicked Long Batian hard, roaring: "Useless waste! What good are you to me? Pick up your blade and fight Qin Feng—or I'll kill you all!"

Trapped between retreat and resistance, Long Batian could only cast a desperate plea toward Qin Feng.

Qin Feng sighed, speaking with solemn gravity: "Young Master Gao, as the saying goes, a prodigal's return is worth more than gold. Long Batian and the others have already learned their lesson. Why force them further? Once they finish copying the Da Liang Code, expel them from Jingdu."

Gao Song gritted his molars with a crunch, screaming hysterically: "Bullshit! My men don't need your advice!"

Qin Feng shrugged, not pressing further, and turned to Long Batian: "Flip to the Criminal Law Volume of the Da Liang Code. How is one punished for inciting others to commit violence?"

Long Batian dared not hesitate—he flipped through the book frantically, stammering: "R-Return, Young Master Qin: those who incite others to violence shall be punished one degree more severely—minimum, exile to the frontier; maximum, execution."

Hearing this, Gao Song grew both furious and terrified, fearing Qin Feng would truly report him to the Jingzhong Magistrate.

At this critical moment, Qin Xiaofu rushed back, breathless, clutching a wooden box. He leaned close to Qin Feng's ear and whispered: "Young Master, all the evidence I could find is in this box. I glanced at a few pages—if you wish, you can kill Gao Song anytime."

Qin Feng took the wooden box, cast a meaningful glance at Gao Song, and deliberately said, "Oh?"

Gao Song's previously flushed face turned instantly pale—his fear now outweighed his rage.

Before this, Gao Song had had no contact with Qin Feng, let alone any grievance. Yet in their first clash, Qin Feng left no room for mercy—he was trying to destroy Gao Song utterly.

This wasn't a sudden feud—it was a blood feud!

This wasn't just picking up a stone and hitting his own foot—it was playing with fire and burning himself alive…

Gao Song's emotions were a storm—he stared fixedly at the wooden box, speechless.

Qin Feng tapped the wooden box, sighed softly, his eyes filled with disappointment:

"Young Master Gao, you're too careless. How could you leave such vital evidence lying around with the Longhu Gang? Did you truly think no one in Jingdu could control the Longhu Gang?"

"Now that it's in my hands, you're making this difficult for me. If I return it to you, people will think I'm afraid of you—how will I ever maintain my standing in Jingdu? But if I don't return it… we're all Noble Youth here—we see each other every day…"

Gao Song took a deep breath, forcing down his rage: "Fine! Twenty-four thousand taels of silver—I'll pay!"

Qin Feng tapped the wooden box: "Twenty-four thousand taels is compensation. What about these items? Shall we round it up?"

Gao Song forced out a grotesque smile: "Good, good, good—round it up! I'll have the money sent to you immediately!"

Qin Feng nodded, satisfied. No wonder he was the Gao Family's Young Master—he was truly cooperative. If everyone were like him, Qin Feng's path ahead would be far smoother.

He handed the wooden box to Qin Xiaofu for safekeeping—return it only when the money arrived.

Gao Song clearly didn't trust Qin Feng, growling: "Give me the box first!"

Qin Feng shrugged helplessly: "As a merchant, integrity is the bare minimum. Don't worry—I'll keep it safe for you. As soon as the money arrives, I'll return it intact. As for the details inside… believe me, I have zero interest. If I held leverage over you, I'd be tempted to kill you—and that would make things very hard for me."