While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 107 I Don't Like Your Tone

Shenjia Village was small, with only one main road running through it. Yue Feng and Shen Hui rode slowly to avoid bumping into pedestrians. Just as they were about to leave the village, Yue Feng suddenly heard a commotion.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw dozens of villagers gathered in an open space, holding hunting forks and carrying bows and arrows. They all looked like hunters from the village.

Before them stood three aloof women, dressed in Heavenly Sword Sect disciple robes similar to Shen Hui's, but with more exquisite and refined fabrics and workmanship.

The hunters' group was led by a man in his forties, with a very imposing appearance. At this moment, the man's thick eyebrows were furrowed, and the muscles in his face were taut. He addressed the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple in the middle:

"Fairy Shi, the price we offered to the Heavenly Sword Sect is truly the lowest in the entire Huazhou. We can't lower it any further! If we do, we really won't even be able to afford food."

The woman snorted and ignored her. A woman beside her said, "Mr. Shen, the world is in chaos these days. If it weren't for our Heavenly Sword Sect guarding this place, how could you country folk have such a good life?"

"Even if we didn't pay you for your prey, it's still our due! Whose power are you relying on to dare defy our Heavenly Sword Sect?"

Upon hearing the woman's words, the hunters immediately became agitated, and several hot-tempered ones were about to step forward. The middle-aged man in the lead quickly stopped them. Seeing this, Yue Feng frowned slightly and reined in his horse.

Shen Hui was excitedly talking to Yue Feng when he stopped. Following his gaze, she suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle Shen? And Senior Sister Shi? What are they doing?"

Yue Feng asked, "Do you know them?"

Shen Hui said, "Of course, Uncle Shen is my own uncle. My father is away doing business all year round and rarely comes back. My mother and I are very grateful for his care."

Yue Feng then asked, "And what was the background of your Senior Sister Shi?"

Shen Hui's face showed a hint of fear, which Yue Feng noticed. He said gently, "Don't be afraid. Just say what's on your mind, and I'll take care of it."

Shen Hui nodded and whispered, "Senior Sister Shi Lin is Elder Ge's personal disciple, and she... is very rich."

"Is she from a wealthy family?"

Shen Hui shook her head: "She is an orphan. She was picked up by Elder Ge when she was a child. She doesn't have much of a family background."

"So, as a direct disciple of an elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, one receives higher treatment?"

"Perhaps," Shen Hui said uncertainly, "but I've noticed that the other direct disciples don't live as luxuriously as she does."

Yue Feng hummed in agreement and didn't press the matter further. At this moment, Shen Hui's uncle, having finally managed to restrain the agitated hunter, turned to Shi Lin and said:

"Fairy Shi, what that fairy said is right. We are all country folk, and we don't have so many ulterior motives. Whoever can give us a full meal, we will stick with them."

"It's true that the Heavenly Sword Sect protects our area, but they can't let us go hungry, can they? Otherwise, we'd rather not have the Heavenly Sword Sect's protection and earn our living through our own abilities. There's nothing wrong with that."

The hunters all shouted:

"Yes! Brother Shen is right!"

"We don't need the Heavenly Sword Sect's protection anymore. We have our own steel forks and hunting bows. If those bandits come, we'll make them regret it!"

A cold laugh escaped Shi Lin's nose, striking the hunters' hearts like a hammer blow. Shi Lin finally spoke, her voice as chilling and piercing as ancient ice:

"You were born at the foot of Tianjian Mountain, in this Shen Family Village. Your life is to support my Tianjian Sect. Those who disobey will die!"

The hunters were stunned by the murderous intent in Shi Lin's words and couldn't speak for a moment. Yue Feng said to Shen Hui, "Find a place to hide, I'll go check it out." Without waiting for Shen Hui's reply, he spurred his horse and rode off.

Uncle Shen, his face ashen, said, "Fairy Shi, although I am not a member of your martial arts world, I have heard that the Heavenly Sword Sect has strict rules, the most important of which is not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. We believe we have not offended you, Fairy. If you were to attack us, wouldn't that be rather unreasonable?"

Shi Lin said, "The Heavenly Sword Sect and the Xie Family are about to engage in a great battle, yet you've chosen this moment to hinder our sect. You must have been bribed by the Xie Family. Junior Sister Fang, cut off both of his hands as a warning to others!"

The woman who had spoken to Uncle Shen earlier agreed, drew her long sword, and slowly walked towards Uncle Shen.

Uncle Shen assumed a horse stance, gripping the steel fork tightly with both hands. With a loud shout, he lunged at Junior Sister Fang. Junior Sister Fang severed the fork's tip with her sword, then with a flourish, a streak of sword light slashed down towards Uncle Shen's hands.

"Whoosh—smack!"

Fang Shimei felt a sudden, sharp pain in her wrist, and the longsword flew from her hand, straight backward. Shi Lin slightly turned her head, and the longsword grazed past her ear, severing a few strands of her hair. Fang Shimei clutched her right wrist with her left hand, quickly retreating, and said to Shi Lin:

"Senior Sister Shi, my bones are broken!"

Shi Lin slowly gripped the hilt of her sword with her right hand, then suddenly leaped forward, drawing her sword in one motion. The sword light passed over the heads of the hunters, striking Yue Feng, who was sitting on horseback.

Yue Feng didn't move his body, but merely raised a finger, and Shi Lin's longsword suddenly shattered into fragments. With a wave of his hand, the fragments flew horizontally and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Shi Lin somersaulted back, and although she was not injured, her face looked even worse than if she had been injured.

"Who are you?"

"I am Yue Feng, the leader of the Great Wind Gang, and I have come to pay my respects to your sect leader. I did not expect to encounter such injustice so soon after arriving here, and I couldn't resist the urge to intervene."

"You can only control things for a short time, not forever. Once you leave, we'll still be the ones making the decisions here."

In a flash, Yue Feng was in front of Shi Lin, one hand gripping her chin. Shi Lin felt a powerful force pressing down on her entire body, rendering her unable to move. Although Junior Sister Fang and the other woman cried out twice, neither dared to step forward.

Yue Feng looked down into Shi Lin's eyes: "What you just said is true; but I don't like the tone of your voice. I advise you not to say things like that again, okay?"

Shi Lin wanted to nod, but Yue Feng grabbed her chin, preventing her from doing so. Yue Feng released her and said, "Since I've taken this matter under my wing, I'll see it through to the end. Who exactly sets the price for the Heavenly Sword Sect's prey?"

Shi Lin gritted her teeth and remained silent, while Junior Sister Fang said, "Yes... Elder Ge."

Yue Feng said, "Alright, have your Elder Ge come see me. If she doesn't come, I can't guarantee what I might do to this Fairy Shi."

Junior Sister Fang and another woman exchanged a glance, then silently hurried away. Yue Feng sat down on a large rock nearby and closed his eyes to rest. Uncle Shen and the others wanted to come over to thank him, but fearing they would disturb him, they had to give up.

The villagers had already noticed the commotion and gradually gathered around. Shen Hui mingled among the villagers, wanting to step forward, but felt that her intervention would not only be useless but might also make the situation more complicated.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she gave Yue Feng a deep look and secretly left the village.