Chapter 45: Mentality
She raised her slender, delicate arm and looped it through Lin Feng's. The distance between them closed in an instant.
"Mm."
Lin Feng acknowledged her, but his expression grew much more serious.
Su Yanxue was an ordinary person. She had just been nearly killed, and now she was frightened into this state. Lin Feng was naturally worried that the trauma would leave a lasting scar.
After all, in the span of a single day, Su Yanxue had not only been deceived and kidnapped but had also witnessed a murder. Her mind must have suffered a tremendous shock.
'I'll have to be more careful about this sort of thing from now on.'
...
Meanwhile, in a luxuriously decorated room within a lavish manor in Xinan City, a man in a sharp suit sat on a spacious and comfortable sofa, drinking tea.
The man was about thirty or forty years old, with a handsome face, dark skin, a high-bridged nose, and sharp, angular features that gave him a piercing look.
A closer look would reveal his eyes, which were filled with a beast-like, bloodthirsty cruelty.
He exuded a dangerous and oppressive aura, as if he could devour someone whole at any moment.
THUMP.
The man's teacup landed heavily on the coffee table, making a muffled sound.
"That bastard!"
The man's face was livid.
"Elder Li is dead? He was actually killed by some youngster? How is that possible!"
"Who is that guy! Daring to provoke the Qingfeng Sect... I'll never forgive him!"
He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked, a series of pops and snaps revealing the depth of his fury.
Although Elder Li was just an ordinary Outer Disciple in the Qingfeng Sect, he was still one of their own.
Moreover, after joining secular forces, he had contributed a lot of money to the Qingfeng Sect. He was a source of income for them, and now that source had been cut off?
Ruining someone's livelihood is like murdering their parents. How could he not avenge such a grudge!
Besides, the Qingfeng Sect's Cultivation Techniques were quite unique. For one of their own to die at the hands of some brat... if word of this got out, how could he maintain his standing in Xinan City!
"Hmph. I'd like to see for myself what kind of skills this young man has to dare provoke my Qingfeng Sect!"
He shot to his feet and strode out of the room.
...
"W-What do we do?"
Hiding in the shadows, Su Linlin and Jiang Yuelian trembled as they watched the retreating figures of Lin Feng and Su Yanxue, their faces filled with terror.
They never would have imagined that Lin Feng could be so ruthless, not even sparing an old man like Elder Li. He was more terrifying than a demon.
"Run! Run! We can't let them find us!"
Jiang Yuelian shrieked, ready to bolt. Su Linlin was in a complete panic as well.
They had seen everything Lin Feng did from start to finish. The bloody, terrifying scene made them want to vomit from fear. The state of Elder Li's corpse, in particular, had scared them witless.
Lin Feng was a monster, plain and simple. And to think they were living with such a monster—it was absolutely horrifying!
The two of them were just ordinary people; they had never experienced anything so dreadful. Luckily, Lin Feng hadn't spotted them. Otherwise, they surely would not have escaped with their lives.
After all, they were the ones who had set Su Yanxue's kidnapping in motion today!
"Wait, Mom! This could be our chance!"
Su Linlin's face was pale, but her eyes held a wild, fanatical glint.
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Yuelian asked with a frown, but her steps slowed, and she ultimately chose to hear Su Linlin out.
"Lin Feng killed the young master of the Wang Family. We're talking about the Wang Family of Xinan City."
Su Linlin said in a low voice, her eyes darting about.
Hearing this, Jiang Yuelian's breathing suddenly quickened.
She had been so terrified by Lin Feng's horrific methods that her mind had gone blank, but now that Su Linlin had pointed it out, she understood.
"Lin Feng may be terrifying, but at the end of the day, he's just one person. And the Wang Family? They're a truly powerful clan in Xinan City. Now that Lin Feng has offended them, he won't live for long."
"We can go to the Wang Family in Xinan City and tell them what Lin Feng did! That way, we won't have to live in fear anymore. Wouldn't that be better?"
Su Linlin grew more and more excited as she spoke.
Jiang Yuelian's eyes went wide, her heart pounding. She knew her daughter had a point. As formidable as Lin Feng was, a great clan like the Wang Family was also terrifying. There was no way Lin Feng could withstand their wrath!
But if they went, would they get caught in the crossfire? That was a concern.
"In any case, let's go to Xinan City first and see how things are. That Lin Feng has already killed Elder Li; I refuse to believe he can keep acting so arrogantly."
A smirk formed on Su Linlin's lips.
After the mother and daughter reached an agreement, they forced themselves to be brave, returned to the factory to snap a couple of photos of the dead Elder Li and Wang Kai, then secretly slipped away from the estate, planning to head to Xinan City to seek the Wang Family's protection.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng had already brought Su Yanxue back to the manor.
After coaxing Su Yanxue to sleep, Lin Feng waved over the manor's bodyguards.
"What happened today? Why did Xue'Er go out?"
Lin Feng asked icily, his entire body radiating a piercing chill, as biting as a winter north wind.
"Mr. Lin, we were just about to go on patrol when two women arrived, claiming to be Su Linlin and Jiang Yuelian. They spoke with the madam in the living room for a while, and then the madam went out with them."
The group of bodyguards explained, kneeling on the ground in terror.
"Then why didn't you follow them? Why did you let her go out alone?"
Lin Feng's brow furrowed, his face growing even colder as murderous intent flared from him.
The bodyguards immediately fell silent as cicadas in winter, their foreheads beaded with sweat. The temperature in the entire room seemed to drop several degrees.
"When the madam went out, the entire Third Squad was dispatched to protect her, but..."
One of the bodyguards mustered his courage and recounted the day's events to Lin Feng.
"Hmph."
After hearing the bodyguard's description, Lin Feng's expression relaxed slightly, though it remained utterly cold.
That mother and daughter, Su Linlin and her mom, had truly angered him this time. No one in this world had ever dared to threaten his family!
'That mother-daughter pair... they deserve to die!'
'Last time, I kept my promise and spared their lives. I never thought that not only would they show no remorse, but they would actually double down.'
'In that case, I can't let them live!'
"Go. Find this woman's location, then send someone to bring her here. I don't want to see her in this world ever again!"
Lin Feng ordered coolly.
The bodyguards shuddered at his words, then respectfully complied.
They understood that the person Lin Feng wanted brought to him was Su Linlin.
"As you command, Mr. Lin!"
...
「Night fell, blanketing everything in darkness.」