271: Chapter 271 Shrimp

Peaceful days were like magma in a volcano, flowing slowly and scaldingly.

For some time now, Hun Feng had been unprecedentedly idle. He slept until late every day, only opening his eyes when Yao Yao tickled his nose with her hair; at breakfast, Cai Lin was on his left, Xun'er on his right, Yun Yun served him food from across, and Cao Ying grumbled on the side about him being a picky eater; in the afternoon, he would sprawl on the soft couch in the floral hall, resting his head on Xiao Yi Xian's lap while reading casual books, occasionally opening his mouth to catch a spirit fruit tossed by Yao Yao; in the evening, he went to the Martial Arena to watch his daughters spar, occasionally stepping in to offer pointers, which drew cheers from the entire crowd; at night, he would embrace the wife on duty and return to the sleeping palace, living the life of a complete decadent ruler. The women were somewhat helpless against his clinginess—previously, when Hun Feng was so busy he couldn't touch the ground, they complained he never came home; now that he spent every day holed up in the harem refusing to leave, they began to suspect if the Spirit Hall was about to go bankrupt. Hun Qian would come every few days with a stack of documents for instructions, only to be dismissed by Hun Feng with a single sentence each time, his expression upon leaving more exhausted than if he had been reviewing documents for three days.

"Has the Hall Master been possessed by some evil entity lately?" Hun Qian asked Xue Wei privately.

Xue Wei leaned against the corridor pillar, arms crossed, her deep purple eyes glancing toward the floral hall as the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "No. He has simply finally realized how to live."

That afternoon, while Hun Feng was resting on Xun'er's lap eating grapes, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace. Xue Wei pushed the door open and entered, her pace a few beats faster than usual, the hem of her dark red dress brushing lightly against the threshold. Her expression was somewhat subtle—not nervous, but more like she had encountered something she found inexplicable.

"Hall Master, a young man has arrived outside the city. He looks to be around twenty, wearing a straw hat, and calls himself Xia Ren. He says he wants to join the Spirit Hall, and also says—" She paused, "And he says he is a fellow townsman of yours."

Hun Feng's chewing of the grape stopped abruptly. That name was like a basin of ice water poured from head to toe, washing away all his laziness and sleepiness. He slowly sat up straight and spat the grape seed into the dish, his expression showing no fluctuation, but Xun'er keenly noticed his shoulders tense slightly on her lap for an instant.

Xia Ren. He was all too familiar with this name. The protagonist in silly videos, that panda-head meme paired with an annoying voice-over—no, more importantly, this guy was a transmigrator. Could anyone in the Great Thousand World have such a name? Besides a transmigrator, who else would name themselves Xia Ren?

"Just one person?" Hun Feng asked, his tone no different from usual.

"Just one. His cultivation isn't high, around Earth Supreme, and he doesn't look like much of a threat." Xue Wei replied, then frowned slightly, "Does the Hall Master know this person?"

"I don't know him. But this name is interesting." Hun Feng stood up, straightened his robes, and turned to Xue Wei, "Go and fetch him yourself, and invite him to the side hall. Don't let him get away."

Xue Wei raised an eyebrow. A young Earth Supreme, worthy of the Spirit Hall Hall Master receiving him personally? And requiring her, an Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme, to go and fetch him? But she had followed Hun Feng for so long, and she knew he was not someone who would make a fuss over trivial matters. She didn't ask further and turned to leave.

Before long, Xue Wei led a young man into the Imperial City's side hall.

Hun Feng had already dismissed all the attendants in the hall, leaving only Xue Wei at his side. The candlelight stretched the newcomer's shadow long and slanted, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty hall. A straw hat, indeed. A young face was revealed from under the brim, with fair skin, regular features, sword-like brows and starry eyes, a straight nose bridge, and a familiar, self-assured smile at the corners of his mouth. He was truly handsome, almost surpassing himself. Not a panda head; this made Hun Feng breathe a sigh of relief while simultaneously giving rise to some vigilance—this face was more dangerous than a panda head. A panda head wouldn't make one lower their guard, but a handsome face would.

Xia Ren stood in the center of the side hall, twirling his straw hat casually in his hand. His gaze swept from the reliefs on the four walls to the spirit crystal lamps on the dome, then from Hun Feng to Xue Wei, and finally landed back on Hun Feng's face. His posture was very casual; there was neither the panic of an ordinary rogue cultivator seeing a Hall Master, nor the deliberately feigned lack of humility or arrogance—it was purely casual, as if he had walked into a friend's living room.

"Brother!" Xia Ren grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, "I finally found you! We are both fellow townsmen, you really have to help this little brother out!"

Xue Wei frowned. Fellow townsmen? She knew Hun Feng had ascended from a Lower Plane, but there were so many Lower Planes, how could someone just randomly show up and claim to be a fellow townsman?

Hun Feng's face showed just the right amount of surprise, his brows raised slightly as he looked Xia Ren up and down: "What are you saying? What fellow townsman?"

"Don't pretend." Xia Ren sat on a chair to the side, crossed his legs, his tone as certain as if he were stating a fact, "This place should have been the territory of the Endless Fire Territory, and the Burning Heaven Mountain Range is the place of the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan. Now it's good, the Endless Fire Territory is gone, and there's an extra Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall—this name is not a product of this world. And you, Hun Feng, in the original work, you should have died over a decade ago and never ascended to the Great Thousand World. Now not only are you alive, but you also created the Spirit Hall, keeping Xiao Yan pressed in the Lower Plane unable to come out—brother, you can fool others, but you can't fool me."

Xue Wei was completely confused—Endless Fire Territory? Flame Emperor Xiao Yan? Original work? She didn't understand a single one of these terms. But Hun Feng didn't let her continue listening; he tilted his head to look at her, signaling her to withdraw outside the hall. Although full of doubts, Xue Wei cupped her fists and retreated, gently closing the hall doors.

Only two people remained in the hall. The candlelight burned quietly between them, occasionally popping with a very faint crackle. Xia Ren sat on the chair with his legs crossed, looking composed, as if he were not facing the master of a super power at the Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign level, but an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Hun Feng was silent for a moment, then slowly began to recite a few code phrases—those were code phrases that only a true transmigrator could respond to, covering details of the Fighting Qi Continent, the plot progression of the original work, and some memes that only modern Earthlings would know. Xia Ren responded fluently, even correcting a small mistake of his. During the exchange, Xia Ren became increasingly excited, as if he felt he had found his organization.

"Brother, you're doing really well!" Xia Ren looked around, clicking his tongue in admiration, "Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, Hall Master of the Spirit Hall, Sixth Elder of the Great Thousand Palace—this level of prestige is much more exaggerated than I expected. With us two fellow townsmen joining forces, won't we be able to dominate this Great Thousand World from now on?"

"Easily said, easily said." Hun Feng laughed, but the coldness in his eyes did not melt, "You rest first, I'll hold a welcome banquet for you tonight."

That night, the welcome banquet was set in the side hall of the main palace.

All six wives were present, the seven daughters were also seated around a table, and Xue Wei stood behind Hun Feng as usual. The table was full of sumptuous delicacies, the candles were bright, and the hall was filled with the soothing incense personally blended by Xun'er, a faint scent of sandalwood flowing slowly in the warm air.

Xia Ren had changed into a clean robe, but the straw hat was still on his head as he strode into the side hall. The moment his gaze swept over the table full of female family members, his steps paused significantly, and his eyes lit up—not the kind of subtle appreciation, but an unmasked, naked amazement. His gaze first swept over Cai Lin's face, lingered longest on Yao Yao's face, then moved down a few inches, and the corners of his mouth even curled up slightly.

"Brother, what good fortune." Xia Ren sat down at the table, raised his wine cup, and winked at Hun Feng, "The beauties of the Fighting Qi Continent have all been taken by you alone. You make this little brother envious to death."

As he spoke, his eyes drifted back toward Yao Yao, his gaze sliding from that loli-like delicate face all the way to her full bosom, lingering for several breaths before moving away. Yao Yao was wearing a dark red short skirt today, the neckline open casually, and she was leaning on the chair with one hand supporting her chin. Hearing this, her peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly. She had seen too many men look at her with various gazes—fearful, amazed, covetous—but this kind of unmasked scrutiny from Xia Ren was a first. She didn't get angry; instead, she tilted her head, a wicked smile floating on the corners of her mouth, but that smile hid needles. Those who knew her knew that the angrier she was, the better she smiled.

"Husband, this Brother Xia Ren is certainly very self-familiar." Yao Yao took a sip from her wine cup, her voice soft and charming, dragging out a lazy tail note, while her peach-blossom eyes coldly glared at Xia Ren from above the cup's rim, "After looking for so long, aren't your eyes sore?"

Xia Ren laughed, not hearing the thorns in her words at all: "Not sore, not sore, after all, the beautiful scenery is appetizing!"

Cao Ying put down her chopsticks, a trace of unmasked disgust flashing in her phoenix eyes. She was always straightforward and frank; if she didn't like something, she didn't like it. She immediately leaned back against the chair, crossed her arms, and a cold sneer hung on the corners of her mouth; that expression clearly said—why hasn't this person been kicked out yet? Yun Yun, sitting beside her, gently pulled her sleeve and shook her head slightly, signaling her not to cause a scene at the banquet.

Xun'er lowered her eyes and sipped tea, her expression indifferent, her slender fingertips slowly tracing a circle along the edge of the teacup. She didn't look at Xia Ren, but the "keep strangers away" aura around her had quietly risen, like an invisible barrier isolating her from that direction. Her nature was cold on the outside and warm on the inside; she was always distant and self-restrained toward outsiders. To be able to make her quietly erect a barrier was already a sign of extreme displeasure.

Cai Lin sat upright as usual, her purple snake pupils coldly sweeping over Xia Ren, as if looking at a fly that had accidentally flown into the palace. She only looked for this one moment before withdrawing her gaze, picked up her wine cup and took a sip, not saying a word from beginning to end. She was the main wife, in charge of the harem; in this occasion, she was giving her husband face, and not taking action was already the limit.

Yun Yun sighed softly and shifted her gaze toward the window. Her nature was the most gentle, not used to embarrassing others, but Xia Ren's gaze made her very uncomfortable, and she just wanted this welcome banquet to end quickly.

Xiao Yi Xian did not raise her eyes from beginning to end. She sat in the corner quietly picking up food, her white hair hanging down to cover half her face, as if this banquet had nothing to do with her. But when Xia Ren's gaze swept over her, her action of picking up food slowed by half a beat, and the tip of her chopsticks paused lightly on the edge of the plate—a very subtle movement, only Cao Ying, who was sitting next to her, noticed it.

Hun Muying sat among her sisters, staring at Xia Ren for a long time with her phoenix eyes, then leaned close to Hun Muqing's ear and whispered something. Hun Muqing replied expressionlessly, and the two exchanged a tacit understanding look—as daughters, they couldn't speak up on this occasion, but their eyes weren't blind; that person's gaze scrutinizing their mothers had already made them sentence him to death in their hearts.

Hun Feng took all of this into his eyes, raised his wine cup, and smiled even more enthusiastically: "Come, Brother Xia Ren, drink! Let's not return until we're drunk!" He kept urging him to drink continuously, and Xia Ren refused nothing, the two clinking cups and exchanging drinks, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight wine jars were emptied.

Xia Ren's tolerance for alcohol was not bad, but Hun Feng was a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, and his physical body's tolerance for alcohol far exceeded that of ordinary people. He suppressed his spiritual energy to the lowest level, pretending to be as flushed and slurring his speech as Xia Ren, but the depths of his eyes remained as clear as water. He poured two more bowls of strong wine for Xia Ren, and taking advantage of the other's drunken, hazy eyes, he lowered his voice to fish for information, dismissing the attendants at key points, leaving only Xue Wei standing far away, unable to hear the content of their whispers.

Finally, after a few vague questions and answers, he confirmed the most important fact—Xia Ren did not have a system.

He had no golden finger, no cheats, and his cultivation was achieved through his own hard work on the Tianluo Continent.

The reason he was able to reach Earth Supreme was because the time point he transmigrated to was a few years earlier than his own, and his luck was decent; he had made a name for himself on the edge of the Tianluo Continent, and later, having heard of the name Hun Feng and the existence of the Spirit Hall, he had traveled all the way here to find him.

Hun Feng slowly straightened up, the drunkenness on his face fading away completely.

He set down his wine cup and stood behind Xia Ren with his hands behind his back, looking down at the head slumped on the table in deep sleep and the straw hat that had tilted to one side.

The candlelight in the hall flickered slightly, casting alternating light and shadow across his face.

Since there was no system, that made things easier.

A world could only have one transmigrator; if this guy could recognize him today and recount the plot of the original work, he could spread these words throughout the Great Thousand World tomorrow.

If one day he were to expose his identity as a transmigrator, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Furthermore, the way this person looked at Yao Yao had already committed a major taboo—he could be touched, but the women by his side could not.

"Brother, my apologies." Hun Feng said in a low voice.

He raised his hand, and the Heaven-Slaying Flame rose silently from his palm, the crimson flames condensing into an extremely thin beam that pierced through the back of Xia Ren's head.

There was no scream, no struggle, just a very faint "hiss," as if a flame had licked across a dry sheet of paper.

The flames began to burn from the inside, devouring layer by layer from bones to flesh to soul.

In less than a few breaths, an Earth Supreme completely disappeared from this world, not even leaving behind ashes—the soul was burned clean by the Heaven-Slaying Flame, leaving not even a chance for reincarnation.

The women at the table all changed color in unison.

The wine cup in Yao Yao's hand dropped onto the table with a "clatter," rolling for half a circle, and the amber wine spilled across the table, soaking the brocade tablecloth in front of her.

On her excessively delicate loli face, the cynical smile completely disappeared for the first time, replaced by a rare look of shock—she had seen Hun Feng kill people, countless times, but she had never seen him do it himself at a family banquet in front of the whole family.

Cao Ying gasped sharply, her hand trembling as she nearly knocked over the bowl and dishes in front of her, her phoenix eyes filled with horror as she subconsciously grabbed the arm of Yun Yun beside her.

Yun Yun shuddered, her face turning pale, and she instinctively pulled Hun Mulan, who was beside her, behind her, using her hand to protect her daughter's shoulder.

Hun Mulan was so startled by this sudden turn of events that she froze in her seat; her chopsticks fell to the ground, the crisp sound exceptionally jarring in the deathly silent side hall.

Hun Muying stood up abruptly, her phoenix eyes staring fixedly at the spot where Xia Ren had disappeared, her lips turning slightly pale.

Hun Muqing remained in her seat, but her fingers were already pressed against the hilt of the sword at her waist—not because she intended to attack, but out of instinct.

Hun Muling and Hun Musheng both gasped in unison, grabbing each other's hands.

Hun Muxian was the quickest to regain her composure, but her teacup trembled slightly in her fingertips, and two drops of tea splashed onto the table.

Cai Lin remained seated, but her reaction was the fastest—as soon as Xia Ren fell, she reached out to press down in the direction of her daughters, to prevent them from rushing out in fright.

Her purple snake eyes paused on Hun Feng's face for a moment; there was no panic, no questioning, only her fingers gripping the chair armrest tightening slightly, her knuckles turning white.

She knew that Hun Feng never killed without reason, but for him to act in front of the whole family, this person must have touched a bottom line that he absolutely could not tolerate.

Xun'er slowly stood up, her brows slightly furrowed.

She did not look at the spot where Xia Ren had disappeared, but instead looked at Hun Feng—looked into his eyes, looked at his face that still carried a hint of coldness.

In those eyes, she saw determination, and a trace of extremely faint, deeply hidden lingering fear.

What could make a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign feel lingering fear?

She did not ask, just stood quietly, waiting for him to speak.

Xue Wei leaned against the pillar, completely stunned.

This person was clearly brought in by her personally; she had personally taken him to the side hall, and personally led him to the welcoming banquet, served tea and wine, and accompanied him for the whole evening. She had even been thinking just a moment ago that although this person's gaze was a bit frivolous, his conversation was quite interesting—and the next second, he was burned until not even ashes remained.

She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, her deep purple pupils filled with disbelief.

She had seen Hun Feng be decisive in killing, but she had never seen him personally kill someone who was already drunk and had no ability to resist in front of his entire family.

Even when he beheaded seventeen Extraterritorial Evil Clan Heavenly Supremes in the South Sea, that was on the battlefield.

What was this? An assassination? An execution?

"Hall Master, you—" She finally found her voice, but she did not know how to ask the second half of the sentence.

Hun Feng withdrew his hand, and the last flame of the Heaven-Slaying Flame danced on his fingertips, then submerged into his palm.

He turned around to face the women at the table, was silent for a moment, and then spoke.

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear in the quiet side hall.

"This person had something wrong with his brain. He looked normal on the surface, but was actually extremely dangerous. You didn't hear what he said in the side hall just now—he held an abnormal delusion about me, about the Spirit Hall, and about the structure of the entire Great Thousand World."

"He knew too many things he shouldn't know, his thinking was twisted, and he had no bottom line. You must remember—the way he looked at Yao Yao was just the tip of the iceberg."

"If this person were allowed to leave the Imperial City alive, it wouldn't be long before he became a more troublesome problem than the Extraterritorial Evil Clan. If this person lives, it is a huge threat to the Spirit Hall, to you, and to me."

He paused, his gaze turning to Xue Wei, his tone still calm, but Xue Wei could hear the weight pressed beneath that calmness: "I will explain this matter to you later. You only need to know—you were not wrong to bring him here, and I was not wrong to kill him. This person should never have existed in this world from the beginning."

The women were silent for a good while. In the side hall, there was only the low rumbling from the volcano group outside the window, and the candlelight swayed gently in the silence.

Yao Yao was the first to snap out of it. She looked down at the puddle of spilled wine on the table, blinked her peach-blossom eyes, bent down to pick up the fallen wine cup, placed it back on the table, and gently rubbed the rim of the cup with her fingertips.

The wicked smile reappeared on her face, but this time, a trace of cold lingering fear was hidden deep within the smile.

"Well killed." She picked up the freshly poured wine, tilted her head back, and downed it all. When she put down the wine cup, a drop of wine still hung from the corner of her mouth, making that loli face look exceptionally bewitching. "Just for the way he looked at me, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough. Husband, you really can endure; you should have slaughtered him at first glance. And you accompanied him for a whole night of drinking; I almost thought you had changed your nature."

Cao Ying let out a long breath, released her grip on Yun Yun's arm, patted her own full chest, the horror in her phoenix eyes gradually dissipating, replaced by lingering fear: "You scared me to death. I had felt all along that this person was not right—his gaze was as sticky as a snake, and his smile was very fake. I just didn't expect that Husband would act so quickly, and at the dinner table at that."

She paused, glanced at the table full of dishes that hadn't been touched much, and the corner of her mouth twitched, "Now it's done, I can't eat this meal anymore."

Yun Yun slowly released her hand protecting her daughter and patted Hun Mulan's shoulder gently to signal that she was fine.

Her face was still a bit pale, but her expression had returned to her usual gentleness. She looked up at Hun Feng, her voice soft: "Husband has his own sense of propriety. Think about it, for so many years, when has he ever made a wrong decision? This person's gaze was indeed not right. I have lived for more than half a life, that kind of gaze—it was not lust, it was greed. A person greedy to the bone cannot be kept."

She lowered her head and said softly to Hun Mulan, "Lan'er, don't be afraid, your father is cleaning up the house."

Hun Mulan bit her lip and nodded, bent down to pick up the chopsticks that had fallen to the ground, and whispered, "I'm not afraid," but her hand gripping her mother's sleeve had not let go.

Gu Xun'er gently placed her teacup on the table, stood up, walked around the corner of the table, and went to Hun Feng.

Her steps were as calm as always, her long dress trailing on the ground without a sound.

She did not ask what that person actually knew, nor did she ask why Hun Feng had to kill him in front of the whole family.

She just looked into his eyes, and in those gentle and clear eyes, his coldness, which had not yet dissipated from between his brows, was reflected.

Her fingertips pinched a strand of hair that had fallen onto his shoulder at some unknown time and gently flicked it away, her movements as soft as if she were tidying up a precious painting, and then her hand slid down, patting his back gently—the strength of it was like soothing a beast with bristled fur.

"The food is cold. Sit down and eat." She said, her tone flat and gentle, as if nothing had happened just now.

Cai Lin finally spoke. She stood up, her purple snake eyes sweeping across the daughters and sisters at the table, and finally landed on Hun Feng.

Her voice was still that lukewarm tone, but everyone present could hear the weight in her words: "All sit back down. No one is to mention tonight's matter again once they leave this door. Mulan, pick up your chopsticks. Muying, sit down. Even if you can't eat, you must eat—this is a family banquet, not an execution ground."

She did not comment on whether Hun Feng's killing was right or wrong, nor did she pursue the reason. Those few words of hers were both to set the daughters' hearts at ease and to set the tone for the sisters.

The girls present were all smart people; once Cai Lin said this, everyone knew that this matter was over.

Hun Feng sat back down and picked up his bowl and chopsticks. The candlelight remained bright, and the atmosphere in the side hall slowly warmed up from the freezing point.

Yao Yao poured herself another glass of wine and took the initiative to raise her glass to clink with Xiao Yi Xian; Xiao Yi Xian rarely picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

Cao Ying began to discuss with Yun Yun about the purchase of medicinal materials for the pill room tomorrow, her voice a beat higher than usual—a sign that she had not yet fully recovered from the fright.

The daughters exchanged glances, and Hun Muling secretly said something to Hun Muqing, who glared back at her with an eye-roll.

Gu Xun'er picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into Hun Feng's bowl, her movements very natural, as if nothing had happened.

Only Xue Wei was still leaning against the pillar, staring at the empty chair where Xia Ren had disappeared for a long time.

On the back of the chair still hung a wet towel for wiping hands, which she had personally handed over before the banquet started.

She took a deep breath, took the wet towel from the back of the chair, folded it, placed it on a tray to the side, and stood back in her position.

She knew that if Hun Feng said he would explain, he would definitely explain, but before that, she could only rely on herself to digest the shock of tonight.

Outside the window, the volcano group of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range was erupting with dark red magma in the night.

The war flags of the Spirit Hall were fluttering and rolling on the city tower.

The night in the Imperial City was still not peaceful—but after tonight, no one would remember the young man wearing the straw hat.