79: Just enough

The Immortal Cave fell silent for a moment.

Li Huayuan held his teacup, his gaze fixed on the tea leaves floating within, remaining silent for a long time. His Dao Companion, the gentle young woman beside him, looked at Lin Feng with a complicated expression, then gently tugged at Li Huayuan’s sleeve.

Finally, Li Huayuan broke the silence, placing the teacup heavily on the stone table with a crisp ‘thud’.

He looked up, his gaze serious as he stared at Lin Feng.

“Junior Martial Nephew Lin, Senior Sister Hong Fu was here earlier, and there were some things this Junior Martial Uncle found inconvenient to tell you directly.”

Lin Feng’s heart stirred, but his face remained impassive, maintaining his respectful and attentive demeanor.

“Now, I must warn you,” Li Huayuan said slowly, “That Dong Xuan’er is not as simple as Senior Sister described her to be, merely playful.”

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

“This woman… it is said she is quite… unrestrained in matters of men and women. Relying on her looks and Senior Sister Hong Fu’s favor, she provokes male Disciples throughout the Sect, causing many to fight over her and neglect their Cultivation. Senior Sister Hong Fu has truly worried herself sick over this.”

A complex expression flashed in Li Huayuan’s eyes as he continued, “If you can truly guide Xuan’er onto the right path and help her rein in her Heart-Nature, Senior Sister Hong Fu will surely remember this immense favor. Her background is far more formidable than you can imagine!”

A hint of surprise appeared on Lin Feng’s face, as if he were hearing such a secret for the first time.

He cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Li Huayuan.

“Thank you for your guidance, Junior Martial Uncle Li, this Junior understands.”

However, he was sneering inwardly. He naturally knew Dong Xuan’er’s conduct in the original novel. For a woman who Cultivated charm techniques and enjoyed toying with men, ordinary methods would naturally be useless. However, Lin Feng had his own ways of ‘educating’ her.

Seeing Lin Feng’s quick understanding, the approval in Li Huayuan’s eyes deepened, then turned into a long sigh.

“Alas, Senior Sister Hong Fu originally intended to find one of my good-for-nothing Disciples to pair with Xuan’er.”

He shook his head, his tone carrying a mix of relief, disappointment, and a touch of sympathy for Lin Feng.

“Now, it seems you have taken the fall for those boys under my tutelage. Do your best with this matter, but do not force it. If it doesn’t work out, it will not be your fault.”

With that, he waved his hand.

“Go now. You have just completed Foundation Establishment, and your Realm is not yet stable. You still need to solidify it further.”

“Yes, this Junior will take his leave.”

Lin Feng bowed again, then turned and walked towards the outside of the Immortal Cave.

The heavy stone door slowly opened.

However, the moment he stepped out of the Immortal Cave entrance, he felt a hostile and jealous gaze, like daggers in his back, firmly locking onto him.

Lin Feng paused, following the gaze.

Not far away, by a large rock, stood a young Cultivator dressed in Huangfeng Valley Disciple robes. This person’s face was still handsome, but at this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, staring fixedly at him, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

“You, are you Lin Feng?”

The young man’s voice squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an uncontrollable rage.

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, instantly guessing the other party’s identity.

Li Huayuan’s seventh Disciple, Wu Xuan.

In the original novel, he was narrow-minded, selfish, disregarded the safety of his fellow Senior and Junior Brothers, and eventually died at the hands of the Blood Servants. He was also one of Dong Xuan’er’s most infatuated admirers.

Presumably, the news of Hong Fu arranging his union with Dong Xuan’er had already reached his ears.

However, Lin Feng had no interest in even giving such a person a second glance.

He directly withdrew his gaze, as if he hadn’t seen the other party at all, and continued walking straight ahead.

Complete disregard.

This was the most absolute contempt.

Wu Xuan was already consumed by jealousy because the goddess he had longed for day and night had been forcibly given by his Grandmaster to a young man who had only been in Huangfeng Valley for two and a half years.

Now, Lin Feng was even putting on such an arrogant display!

“Stop!”

Wu Xuan roared, his body surging forward.

“I heard Junior Brother Lin just completed Foundation Establishment! Let Senior Brother teach you what it means to respect your Master and the Dao!”

Before his words finished, his body had already darted behind Lin Feng like a leopard. With a fierce turn in mid-air, his right leg, like a taut steel whip, swept fiercely towards the back of Lin Feng’s head, carrying the whistling sound of tearing air!

This whip kick was aimed with a vicious angle and timing, clearly intended to ambush someone.

He had calculated that the opponent was facing away from him, placing him in a blind spot, and with his Peak Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, ambushing a Cultivator who had just completed Foundation Establishment would surely be a one-hit success!

He seemed to already see Lin Feng’s brains splattering from his kick, lying on the ground like a dead dog, and a sinister pleasure appeared on his face.

However, the sound of bone shattering he had anticipated did not occur.

That seemingly certain kick had missed!

Wu Xuan’s heart jolted in surprise, his toes drawing a dangerous arc in the air, the strong wind it generated causing the fallen leaves on the ground to tumble.

Where is he?

The thought had just flashed through his mind when an indescribable sense of danger came from his side.

Lin Feng had, at some unknown point, appeared beside him like a ghost.

Lin Feng’s shoulder sank slightly, his entire body like a fully drawn bow, his waist and back exerting force, slamming into him with an utterly brutal posture.

Iron Mountain Lean!

“Boom!”

A dull thud, like a drumbeat.

Wu Xuan felt an irresistible immense force collide with his ribs, as if he had been directly struck by a rapidly charging beast.

His protective Spiritual Light shattered instantly like paper.

The bones within his body emitted a grating “crack, crack” sound, and his entire body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against a large rock more than ten zhang away.

“Rumble!”

The rock trembled violently, and spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across it.

Wu Xuan’s body was actually embedded into the rock, blood gushing from his mouth, golden stars flashing before his eyes, his entire being stunned.

How is this possible?

He hadn’t seen the other party’s movements at all!

What kind of speed was that? What kind of strength was that?

Was this truly a Cultivator who had just completed Foundation Establishment?

But the intense pain in his body, coupled with boundless humiliation, and that unventable jealousy, completely consumed his sanity.

“Ah—!”

Wu Xuan let out a beast-like roar, his eyes bloodshot, seemingly losing his mind.

He fiercely slapped his Storage Pouch, and a shimmering green Flying Sword Magical Artifact instantly appeared in his hand. Spiritual Power frantically poured into it, and the Flying Sword immediately pulsed with sharp Killing Intent.

“I’m going to kill you!”

He actually disregarded the camaraderie of fellow Disciples and the Sect rules, and harbored Killing Intent right outside his Master’s Immortal Cave!

Just at this critical moment.

From within Green Wave Cave, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted!

“Audacious Wu Xuan!”

The voice contained monstrous rage and vast Spiritual Pressure, like an invisible mountain, pressing down with a crash!

“With such a Heart-Nature, how can you achieve Core Formation! I sentence you to return to your Immortal Cave, confined for one year! You are not allowed to step out of your Immortal Cave until you Breakthrough to Middle Stage Foundation Establishment!”

That terrifying pressure belonging to a Core Formation Cultivator swept out like a raging tide, heavily pressing down on Wu Xuan.

The Flying Sword in Wu Xuan’s hand clattered to the ground, and the insane Killing Intent in his eyes was instantly replaced by boundless fear.

His body went limp, and he fell to his knees with a “thump,” kowtowing repeatedly towards Green Wave Cave.

“Master, spare me! Master, spare me! This Disciple knows his mistake! This Disciple was momentarily confused!”

Lin Feng stood quietly to the side, his expression completely unperturbed.

He could clearly feel that Li Huayuan’s Spiritual Pressure, when it swept over him, did not avoid him, and also carried a sense of scrutiny and warning.

This old fox!

Lin Feng sneered inwardly.

From Wu Xuan’s attack to his own counterattack, and then to Wu Xuan summoning his Magical Artifact and harboring Killing Intent, only a few breaths of time had passed.

If Li Huayuan truly wanted to stop it, he should have yelled at Wu Xuan the moment he attacked.

He had clearly been observing coldly with his Divine Sense from within the Immortal Cave, allowing Wu Xuan to attack him.

Firstly, he wanted to see his true strength.

Secondly, he probably also wanted to use Wu Xuan to give him a warning, to “discipline” this “outsider.”

If not for the strength he displayed, which far exceeded his expectations and made him realize that Wu Xuan was no match for him, this old fox probably wouldn’t have come out so quickly to uphold justice.

Lin Feng understood everything in his heart, but his face still maintained that respectful demeanor.

He slightly cupped his hands towards Green Wave Cave, acknowledging Li Huayuan’s final intervention, then no longer lingered, turning into a streak of green rainbow and soaring towards his own Immortal Cave.

…

Inside Green Wave Cave.

Li Huayuan slowly withdrew his Divine Sense, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

His Dao Companion, looking at Lin Feng’s departing back in the water mirror, and then at the kneeling, pathetic Wu Xuan outside begging for mercy, sighed softly.

“It seems Senior Sister Hong Fu truly didn’t misjudge him this time.”

The young woman’s voice was soft, yet it pierced Li Huayuan’s heart like a needle.

“This Lin Feng, his Heart-Nature is steady, his actions decisive, and his strength far surpasses those of the same Realm. Compared to Old Seven and the others… he is indeed much stronger.”

Li Huayuan snorted heavily, not refuting.

The facts were before him, and he had no choice but to admit it.

Seeing his grim expression, the young woman gently comforted him, “Husband, don’t be angry. While a Disciple marrying Xuan’er would certainly strengthen our ties and provide much assistance, the forces behind Hongfu Immortal are also extremely complex. If we truly get involved, it’s hard to say whether it would be a blessing or a curse.”

She paused, then continued, “Now that this Lin Feng has suddenly appeared and taken this matter off our hands, it might not be a bad thing.”

After listening to his Dao Companion’s persuasion, Li Huayuan’s expression finally softened a little.

He turned his head, looking at his wife’s slightly pale face, and the gloom in his eyes turned into tenderness.

“Heh heh, my wife truly sees things clearly.”

He reached out and held his wife’s hand, chuckling, “Let’s not talk about these bothersome things. Come, it’s time for your medicine.”

…

Thank you all for your support!

I’d like to ask for your opinions: should I be rough with Dong Xuan’er or slowly conquer her?