C79 He Was Caught up

With just a cursory glance, Han Feng had taken in the state of the room.

It was like a paradise for men, filled with an assortment of toys, accessories, and more.

Lin Qingshan stared in disbelief; her own dark past seemed less bizarre in comparison.

Han Feng winced at the sight of certain items, imagining the pain they must inflict. It was a wonder how the burly man with a face etched in scars could bear it, let alone look pleased.

Lin Qingshan's complexion shifted from pale to flushed with anger, and with a swift motion, she lashed out with her palm, exclaiming, "Pervert!"

Her strike sent the frail young man crashing against the wall. He coughed up blood and collapsed.

Han Feng, with keen observation, noticed the terror on the young man's face as Lin Qingshan struck. Now gasping for air and spitting blood, he tried to speak but could only cough up more blood, unable to form words.

In a quivering voice, the Second Village Chief interjected, "Heroine, you've struck the wrong man. This is our Eldest Brother!"

He gestured towards the hulking figure marred with hardened trails of candle wax.

Han Feng was at a loss for words.

So was Lin Qingshan.

"Who are you? Second Brother, how dare you bring a stranger here? Are you asking for death?!"

The Great Village Chief, oblivious to the whip's descent, snapped to attention upon seeing three new faces in the room. He leapt to his feet, only to scream in agony and fall back down. Two nails, previously embedded shallowly in his feet, had now plunged deeper as he stood.

Blood pooled around the Great Village Chief's feet as he clutched them, howling in pain.

Han Feng remained speechless.

As did Lin Qingshan.

And the Second Village Chief.

A carriage trundled away from Mount Mabo.

Atop the carriage, a burly figure rode, his face swollen and body riddled with wounds—a ghastly sight to behold.

An unknowing onlooker might have felt a surge of pity for him.

This coachman was none other than the Great Village Chief, Xue Youlin.

Whenever Han Feng brought up the Great Village Chief's name, his face contorted involuntarily. The man's vulgarity and perverse tastes were one thing, but even his name reeked of indecency. He was an oddity, to say the least.

"Heroine, where to next?"

Xue Youlin's voice trembled as he steered the carriage, the memory of Lin Qingshan's beating casting a long shadow over him. The pain from her punches and kicks was no small matter, and excitement was the furthest thing from his mind.

In the past, Xue Youlin might have found a thrill in pain, especially when the whip was handled by an ordinary youth whose strong swings were ultimately harmless. But Xue Youlin was no novice; he was a mid-level Four-star Human Rank expert.

Lin Qingshan, on the other hand, was a different caliber altogether. An Eleven-star Human Rank expert, her blows struck deep, wounding Xue Youlin to his core. There was no pleasure in this pain.

Even if he had once found comfort in the discomfort, it had reached a threshold where it was no longer about comfort but about actual harm.

Thanks to the Second Village Chief's account, Han Feng and Lin Qingshan had gleaned a fair understanding of Xue Youlin. He hailed from a minor family of habitual criminals that eventually provoked the wrath of a formidable Human-level power, leading to their annihilation. Xue Youlin was the sole survivor.

Haunted by the demise of his family, Xue Youlin refrained from his previous misdeeds against young girls, yet he couldn't quell his desires. Somehow, he had developed a taste for self-inflicted pain, finding excitement in the agony as long as it wasn't life-threatening.

Despite Xue Youlin's masochistic tendencies, he hadn't laid hands on a woman in ages. Lin Qingshan ultimately decided to spare his life, partly because they were short a carriage driver.

As for the others, the Second Village Chief met his end at Lin Qingshan's hands. The promise of mercy had been Han Feng's to make, not Lin Qingshan's. And so, the Second Village Chief met his demise with a look of bitter resignation on his face.

The youth Lin Qingshan had unintentionally wounded was no saint; despite being coerced, he frequently consorted with bandits. Initially feeling a twinge of remorse, Lin Qingshan cast it aside upon learning of the boy's misdeeds, ultimately leaving him to bleed out and die.

She compensated the other innocent girls generously with silver before sending them on their way.

Seated in the carriage, Lin Qingshan, upon hearing Xue Youlin's inquiry, responded without opening her eyes, "Head for Renwu City, by the Xuanwu Mountain Range."

At the mention of the Xuanwu Mountain Range, Han Feng's eyes lit up. His own cultivation of the Profound Flame Chain came from the City Lord, who had acquired it there. It was possible that he could find the advanced cultivation techniques for the chain within the mountain range. Yet, the inherent dangers of the Xuanwu Mountain Range gave Han Feng pause, leaving him to wonder if he should seek Sister Lin's assistance.

Rumors had it that the range was crawling with thieves at the peak of Human Rank.

Xue Youlin, still outside, was taken aback. Renwu City was among the elite of Human-level cities, and even he, a dubious bandit, was aware of its potential rise to a Profound grade city, possibly within a few years, transforming it into a Black Tortoise City.

Xue Youlin was reluctant to go. His Four-star Human Rank prowess made him a formidable figure in any ordinary Human-level city, but in Renwu City, he'd be merely a cut above the average enforcer, far from the upper echelons.

This was nothing compared to the top-tier powers and masters of Renwu City.

Lin Qingshan's eyes snapped open, her aura brimming with lethal intent, startling Xue Youlin into immediate compliance. "I'll go now," he stammered.

The trip spanned just over two days.

With Lin Qingshan's near-complete recovery from her injuries, Han Feng had no need to retreat into the Nine Flames Heavenly Fire Tower, and his cultivation foundation remained at the early stages of Two-star Human Rank.

Lin Qingshan aimed to reach Xuanyuan City, situated beyond the Xuanwu Mountain Range. A city of profound grade, it stood on par with Xuanxing City. There, the Lin family's influence would hold no sway, freeing them from the burden of their wanted status.

Having served as a horseman in Xue Youlin for nearly three days, a booming voice, laden with formidable strength, erupted from behind: "Witch, there's no escape for you now."

Following the report to the Ma Family Head, the Lin Family Elder had at last closed in.