While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 36 A Turning Point? A Deadly Intent!

The crowd offered Liu Zhengfeng some words of comfort, praising his wise and courageous decision to retire gracefully, but Liu Zhengfeng simply shook his head. Soon after, the constables brought Yue Feng to the prefectural government office, where the prefect immediately began his court session.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Yue Feng stated his name and place of origin. The prefect sneered, "You audacious scoundrel! You dare to commit violence and injure people in broad daylight, and the one you injured is the second young master of the Xu family in the north of the city."

"The Xu family is the most virtuous family in Hengyang City. How can we allow a mere commoner like you to bully them! Guards, give him twenty lashes, then come back and give us your report!"

Upon receiving their orders, the constables hastily pinned Yue Feng to the ground. Yue Feng offered no resistance, allowing them to do as they pleased. Two constables, standing on either side, grabbed thick, bowl-sized fire sticks and struck Yue Feng on the back with a loud crack.

"Crack!" "Ouch!"

The two sticks snapped instantly, the broken pieces flying out and striking the two constables squarely in the face. The two constables cried out in pain and retreated, while the other constables shouted loudly, but none of them dared to step forward again.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Tie him up! Tie him up!"

The prefect, enraged, started shouting and yelling. The constables hesitated for a moment, then cautiously surrounded Yue Feng. Just then, someone outside the door suddenly shouted, "Lord Cao of the Eastern Depot has arrived!"

Liu Zhengfeng and the others frowned. The Eastern Depot had always only managed the internal affairs of the imperial court. When did it extend its reach into the martial arts world? And what about the Six Doors?

The prefect, his corpulent frame sprang from his chair and rushed out to greet a square-faced official in his forties. The official walked past Yue Feng and gave him a slight smile. Liu Zhengfeng and the others noticed the official's friendly attitude towards Yue Feng and became even more puzzled.

The prefect let Lord Cao sit in the main seat, while he stood obediently to the side. Lord Cao then said to Yue Feng, "What have you done to anger the prefect so much? Tell me everything quickly, or I won't be able to help you."

Upon hearing this, everyone assumed that Yue Feng and Lord Cao were already acquainted, perhaps even having a deep connection. Yue Feng himself, however, knew perfectly well that he didn't know this Lord Cao at all. But since the other party had come to help, he went along with it and recounted everything that had happened since entering the city.

"Everything I have said is true. That Second Young Master Xu was not injured. There were at least dozens of people present at the time, and they can all testify to this."

The nuns of the Hengshan Sect, the disciples of the Qingcheng Sect, and many other unknown martial arts practitioners shouted, "That's right! That kid slipped away while we were fighting and wasn't injured at all!"

Lord Cao said, "So, you acted out of righteousness to protect the reputation of these nuns, and even showed mercy. You're a truly good person?"

Yue Feng replied confidently, "That's right."

Lord Cao nodded and looked at the prefect beside him: "Prefect, what do you think?"

The prefect kept wiping his sweat with the sleeve of his official robe, stammering, "This...that...it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Lord Cao gave a light snort and waved his hand towards the crowd below, "Since that's the case, everyone may disperse. Young Hero Yue, come here for a moment." With that, he turned and went into the inner hall. Yue Feng's eyes flickered slightly, and he followed him. The onlookers waited for a while, but when Yue Feng didn't come out, they gradually dispersed.

Yue Feng followed Lord Cao into an antique-style living room. Lord Cao ordered someone to serve tea. Yue Feng took it, drank a sip, and felt his mouth water and his teeth leave a lingering fragrance. It was indeed a fine tea.

"Lord Cao, thank you for helping me escape. However, we are complete strangers. I wonder why you helped me?" Yue Feng put down his teacup and asked directly.

Lord Cao chuckled: "Young Master Yue is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either. You're a guest elder of the Six Doors, right? I have detailed information about you."

"In the past, the Six Doors were in charge of matters in the martial arts world, but they didn't manage it well, and His Majesty was very dissatisfied. So he sent our Eastern Depot to rectify the situation. My helping you today is just a side thing; my real intention is to invite you to join our Eastern Depot."

Yue Feng pondered seriously for a moment, then shook his head.

"I appreciate Lord Cao's kindness. I have cooperated with the Six Doors several times and it has been quite pleasant. I have no plans to switch sides for the time being."

Lord Cao's smile slowly faded as he stared intently at Yue Feng: "You really refuse?"

Yue Feng shook his head without hesitation.

"I owe Lord Cao a favor, and I will repay it, but... not in this way."

Lord Cao nodded, then suddenly pointed a finger at Yue Feng's heart. Although Yue Feng was protected by the Giant Spirit Golden Body, he still felt a sharp pain in his heart, while Lord Cao's fingertip was still a foot away from his heart.

Since descending the mountain, he had never encountered such a master. Surprised, he gracefully retreated, using the superb movement technique of flying across the cloud platform. In an instant, he created distance, drew his sword, and suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, the blade was shattered by Lord Cao's finger strike from a distance.

"Ahem... Cao Yi, it's been years, you've really grown up, huh? You're actually bullying a kid. Come on, let this old man see what you've got up to."

Cao Yi looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man with a hunched back coughing as he walked in through the door. The old man was leaning on a cane, and when he raised it, a righteous and peaceful true energy emanated from the tip of the cane, dissolving Yue Feng's finger force into nothingness.

Seeing the old man display such extraordinary skill, Cao Yi knew that he was no match for Yue Feng today, so he stopped. "So it's Lord Wu. Why aren't you at the Six Doors' office handling official documents? What are you doing at the government office?"

Lord Wu said, "Thanks to you all, the number of official documents I need to approve is increasing! My old eyesight is failing, and I can't handle them all, so I have to delegate them to my subordinates. Lord Cao, is this against the rules?"

Cao Yi shook his head. Lord Wu then said, "Alright, I know you're busy with important matters, so I won't disturb you any longer. Young Brother Yue, shall I take you out?"

Yue Feng glanced at Cao Yi expressionlessly, then followed Lord Wu out of the government office through the back door and arrived at a nearby residence. Lord Wu said to Yue Feng:

"This is my home, and also the headquarters of the Hengyang Six Doors. Today, I'm showing you around. Oh, by the way, my name is Wu Qingcang, and I'm the chief constable of the Hengyang Six Doors. Welcome to Hengyang!"

Yue Feng bowed and thanked Wu Qingcang, who accepted the thanks without hesitation. Wu Qingcang then led him into the courtyard and to the door of a room. Just then, a beautiful woman with a frosty expression rushed out of the room, nearly bumping into Yue Feng.

"Get out of the way!"

The woman was carrying many papers, seemingly on her way to attend to something urgent, and her tone was quite impatient. Wu Qingcang chuckled and said, "Brother Yue, please don't mind her. She's my granddaughter, named Shuangxue. She helps me with some official documents."

Yue Feng recalled Wu Shuangxue's slender figure and shook his head with a smile.