nyslfriends Chapter 14: Provocation
Chapter 14: Provocation
All the sounds were as if someone had severed them at the neck with a sharp blade.
The music stopped, the laughter ceased, and the sounds of toasting, drinking games, and lively conversations filled the air...
All sounds vanished completely in an instant.
A chilling silence quickly enveloped the entire Manchun Tower.
Xue Bufeng remained calm, slowly chewing the grapes in his mouth as if nothing had happened.
Thousand-Handed Rakshasa felt a murderous aura enveloping them, and dozens of deadly hidden weapons were already pinched between her slender, long fingers.
Yuanyuan and Bingbing also sensed something was wrong, and their charming smiles froze.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Heavy, orderly footsteps echoed up the stairs, unhurried and clear.
Every step felt like stepping on one's heart.
Then, the footsteps stopped in the corridor outside the private room.
"Squeak—"
The door to the private room was pushed open.
A remarkable young man walked in first.
His face was upright and his expression was calm.
He stood ramrod straight, like a javelin, his muscles taut, exuding an air of competence and solemnity.
Behind him followed three equally stern-faced men in tight-fitting clothes with bulging temples, clearly formidable fighters.
The young man at the head of the group had sharp eyes that quickly scanned the private room.
Luxurious furnishings, beautiful women and fine wine, and... the glaring headless corpse and skull on the ground.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the corpse's ornate clothing, then swept over Xue Bufeng and the three women beside him.
He then took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully to Xue Bufeng on the couch, his posture neither humble nor arrogant.
"With a single sword strike, flowers bloom across the sky; I am a subordinate of the Ten Thousand Horses Hall."
He introduced himself in a steady voice, but a closer listen revealed a hint of tension:
"You must be the one who killed my Second Master of the Ten Thousand Horses Hall."
"What are Wanmatang doing here?"
Xue Bufeng seemed to have asked a pointless question.
But it is by no means a pointless statement.
Hua Mantian could tell that Xue Bufu was quite arrogant.
He killed the second master of Wanmatang with a single blow, and instead of leaving, he stayed here, clearly showing that he was not afraid of Wanmatang at all.
On the contrary, Wanmatang should be afraid of him.
That's why he asked Wanmatang what he was doing there.
Are they here to cause trouble for Second Master because of his death?
Wouldn't that just bring a few more people who are looking for death?
Is Wanmatang really that stupid?
It's like if the Heavenly King casually crushed an ant, would that ant and its entire colony dare to seek revenge against the Heavenly King?
Therefore, Xue Bufeng's question was not a trivial one; it was an excellent one!
The question caused Hua Mantian, a swordsman who had experienced countless life-and-death situations in the martial world, to break out in a cold sweat that soaked his back!
But Hua Mantian still straightened up, pointed to the corpse on the ground, and said in a deep voice:
"This man is Ma Kongyun, the younger brother of Ma Kongqun, the head of my Wanma Hall. He may have some improper behavior, but he is still a blood relative of the head of the hall. Your killing him in the street will likely make this matter difficult to resolve peacefully."
Xue Bufeng finally raised his eyes and looked at Hua Mantian, a half-smile on his face, but his voice carried a chilling murderous intent that clearly penetrated everyone's ears:
"He deserves to die for messing with my woman. If you try to stand up for him, you'll die too."
He paused, his smile deepening, but there was no mirth in his cold, star-like eyes:
Think it through before you speak.
"From this point onward, if you utter even half a word incorrectly, you'll suffer the same fate as him."
The moment the words fell, an invisible yet heavy killing intent, as heavy as a mountain, emanated from Xue Bufeng like a tide, instantly filling the entire world!
Hua Mantian froze!
An uncontrollable freeze!
He was not a coward who feared death.
To earn the name "One Sword Flying Flowers" is to be a tough guy whose sword has claimed countless lives.
But at this moment, locked onto by Xue Bufeng's seemingly smiling but actually icy gaze, he felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his breathing suddenly became difficult.
The three elite men from the Wanmatang behind him were even more pathetic.
Their faces turned deathly pale instantly, and they involuntarily took a half step back, their hands trembling slightly as they placed them on their weapons.
Yuanyuan and Bingbing were so frightened that they shrank into Xue Bufu's arms, not daring to even breathe.
The fingers hidden in the sleeve of the Thousand-Handed Rakshasa also tightened around the cold hidden weapon, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xue Bufeng's profile.
Inside the private room, you could hear a pin drop; only the suffocating killing intent flowed silently.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Hua Mantian's forehead. He forced himself to straighten his spine, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He used almost all his strength to find his voice, which was already somewhat dry.
"Your Excellency... Your methods are evident to me. However... However, since this matter has already been done, Master Ma will certainly not let it go. If you truly have the courage, please come to Wanma Hall for a discussion; if you dare not..."
He gritted his teeth: "Then we can take Hua's head right here, and then... leave this city as quickly as possible!"
After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes, having already disregarded life and death.
A brief silence.
Then, a soft chuckle rang out.
The killing intent emanating from Xue Bufeng receded like a tide, so quickly that it seemed like an illusion.
He lazily adjusted his leaning posture, waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.
"A provocation tactic?"
He smiled:
"Very good, you bet right. Provocation works best on me."
"Go back and report. Tell them to wait; I will come myself."
Hua Mantian suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Xue Bufu with disbelief and a hint of surprise.
But he dared not say more, nor linger any longer, and immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute:
"In that case, I'll take my leave! Wanmatang awaits your arrival!"
Having said that, he practically fled the private room with his three subordinates.
There were quite a few people waiting outside the private room, and the sound of a large number of footsteps hurried away and soon disappeared down the stairs.
The Manchunlou was still deathly silent; clearly, the people below were also intimidated by the Wanmatang's display of power and dared not utter a sound.
Inside the private room, Yuanyuan and Bingbing finally dared to breathe heavily, their faces still showing signs of shock. Yuanyuan said in a trembling voice:
"Master... Wanma Hall, we... we heard about them when we followed Pan Xiaoan. They are the largest force in this city, and their leader, Ma Kongqun, is extremely powerful with many skilled fighters under his command... We're afraid we might..."
Bingbing nodded repeatedly, her eyes filled with fear.
Xue Bufeng glanced at them indifferently.
"If you don't dare to go, you can leave now."
The two women's faces turned deathly pale instantly, and their fear intensified, not towards Wanmatang, but towards the man in front of them.
Leave him?
Women like them, weak and penniless, would likely suffer a fate worse than death if they lost their protection in this border town surrounded by wolves and tigers.
They immediately put on a pitiful, tearful expression and clung tightly to Xue Bufeng's arm.
"Master...that's not what we meant! We...we belong to you in life and death, and we will never leave your side!"
Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of crying.
The Thousand-Handed Rakshasa saw all of this, a cold mockery flashing across his face. He gave a soft "humph," turned his face away to look at the long street outside the window, and said nothing.
Xue Bufeng gently pushed away the beauty in his arms, stood up, and looked out at the bustling street.
"Set off."