Han Feng walked out onto the main street, strolling aimlessly, originally intending to buy some nourishing health supplements for his father.
However, a commotion nearby caught his attention. At the source of the noise, a massive crowd had gathered, blocking the street completely.
Han Feng walked forward with heavy steps. After finally managing to squeeze through the crowd, he was shocked to find that the large group of people had gathered around a newly opened, grand apothecary.
A look of puzzlement crossed Han Feng's face. Logically speaking, all the large-scale pharmacies in Guiyuan City were controlled by the Han Family. Who would dare to brazenly open such an imposing apothecary, and make such a flashy spectacle of it?
Just as Han Feng was standing there in a daze, a familiar voice rang out.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Ye Family Apothecary. Today, for our grand opening, everything is half price!"
The speaker was none other than Ye Long, the young master of the Ye Family. He had handsome features and an aura of dashing vigor. His bulging muscles, in particular, constantly reminded everyone of his immense strength.
In an instant, the Ye Family Apothecary was bustling with an endless stream of customers. After all, compared to the Han Family's pharmacies, their prices were vastly cheaper.
Amidst this bustling crowd, Ye Long noticed Han Feng standing on the street. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he walked right up to Han Feng.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Han Family's eldest young master, Han Feng! Why aren't you going inside to take a look? Or do you feel that even medicine can't save you anymore?"
Ye Long burst into a loud, booming laugh, drawing the attention of many bystanders. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were surrounded by a tight ring of onlookers.
This Ye Long was the young master of the Ye Family, one of the Four Great Families of Guiyuan City, and currently possessed the strength of Foundation Establishment Level 5. Across the entire younger generation of Guiyuan City, aside from the Han Feng of yesteryear and that scion of the Lin Family, hardly anyone could match him.
Han Feng's gaze turned sharp as he stared fixedly at Ye Long.
Noticing Han Feng's expression, Ye Long instinctively stopped laughing, a trace of puzzlement flickering in his eyes.
In the past, Ye Long had always been suppressed by Han Feng, to the point that the younger generation of Guiyuan City only knew of Han Feng and remained oblivious to Ye Long. This had infuriated Ye Long to no end, yet he could do nothing about it.
A year ago, Han Feng lost all his cultivation, and the young master of the Lin Family shut himself away from the world, allowing this eldest young master of the Ye Family to shine brightly and make a brilliant name for himself in Guiyuan City. He was now widely acknowledged as the number one genius of Guiyuan City.
Yet, whenever Ye Long recalled the years he spent under Han Feng's shadow, it still sent cold sweat streaming down his back. Han Feng's gaze seemed to dredge up memories of those past days, causing a wave of unease to ripple through his heart.
On second thought, however, Han Feng was already a cripple—what was there to fear?
Collecting himself, Ye Long stepped forward, closing the distance toward Han Feng step by step.
Over the past year, Han Feng had stayed hoarded away at home while Ye Long had busied himself proving his worth to the Ye Family and the entire Guiyuan City. Today happened to be their very first meeting since Han Feng lost his cultivation. This filled Ye Long with a certain degree of excitement, and he intended to reclaim his long-lost honor right in front of everyone.
The corners of Han Feng's mouth turned up in a sneer as he let out a cold laugh.
"Want to make a move?"
This unflappable, composed aura instantly stunned Ye Long, halting his forward steps in their tracks. For a moment, he found himself hesitating; after all, he had lost to Han Feng far too many times, to the point where he almost felt numb to it.
Instinct made Ye Long feel guilty and diffident, holding him back from approaching any further.
Seeing this, Han Feng said with a hint of disdain:
"What's wrong, you perpetual loser? Too scared to come over?"
The surrounding onlookers began to whisper among themselves.
"I heard Han Feng's cultivation has been gone for a full year. Yet Ye Long, who claims to be the number one genius of Guiyuan City, is actually scared of a washed-up former genius?"
"You never know, what if Han Feng is just faking it? If Ye Long makes a move and loses, wouldn't he just end up defeated by him all over again?"
Han Feng's words and the pointing of the crowd pushed Ye Long's anger to its absolute limit. Over the past year, this was the topic Ye Long detested the most. Having Han Feng bring it up instantly made it impossible for him to suppress his rage, and he roared out:
"You're asking for death!"
Wielding his folding fan, Ye Long threw a punch straight at Han Feng with a speed that was truly breathtaking.
Remaining completely calm and composed, Han Feng stood his ground without moving an inch. He raised his left arm and squarely blocked Ye Long's fist with it.
Truth be told, Han Feng was feeling a bit apprehensive inside. Ever since awakening the Divine King Body, his perception of spiritual energy had become extremely acute. From this recent exchange of blows, Han Feng roughly gauged that Ye Long had already reached Foundation Establishment Level 5. Since he himself had only just recovered, his strength was still at Peak Qi Condensation, and defeating Ye Long would likely prove somewhat difficult.
Standing motionless, Han Feng looked Ye Long up and down.
Ye Long was equally astonished; he never expected Han Feng to actually block his punch.
With a stunned expression, Ye Long swept his gaze across Han Feng in utter disbelief.
"Could it really be as the rumors say—did Han Feng fake losing his cultivation?"
Ye Long had suffered far too many losses at Han Feng's hands. To figure out Han Feng's true bottom line, he certainly didn't dare to strike blindly again.
Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers immediately grew restless. In a flash, the street became hopelessly packed as people stopped in their tracks to watch the riveting show.
Not daring to attack either, Han Feng decided to use psychological warfare to force Ye Long back.
"Ye Long, what is the meaning of this? Setting up an apothecary right here on the Han Family's territory so blatantly?"
Han Feng cast a piercing, icy glare at Ye Long, which flustered him so much that he momentarily forgot how to speak.
Seeing that his tactic was working, Han Feng pressed on:
"Do you really think you're guaranteed first place at the upcoming Four Great Families summit? Is that why you're so impatient to start encroaching on the Han Family's business? Well? Am I right?"
Ye Long clenched his teeth tight. At that moment, he was consumed by fear, as if he were once again looking at the fifteen-year-old Han Feng who had reached Peak Foundation Establishment—as if he were reliving the terror of being dominated by Han Feng time and time again.
After a long pause, Ye Long stammered in reply:
"N-no, that's not it at all!"
Cold sweat poured down Ye Long's face, and he stuttered even as he spoke.
With a smirk and a scornful glance, Han Feng dropped his verdict:
"You just focus on running your apothecary properly. Half a month from now, I am going to make your Ye Family stand before the other families and issue a formal apology."
With a sudden pivot of his body, Han Feng turned and walked away with heavy, deliberate steps.
The moment Han Feng left, Ye Long felt the colossal boulder weighing down on his chest instantly lift, and he gasped heavily for air.
At that moment, a lackey behind Ye Long stepped forward and said:
"Young Master, why are you afraid of him? It looked to me like taking your attack took a lot out of him, and his legs were even trembling as he walked away. In my opinion, he's no match for you at all."
*Bang!*
Ye Long slapped the lackey hard across the face, glaring at him with wide, intensely oppressive eyes.
"What do you know? You don't understand him at all. Back in the day, he was already at Peak Foundation Establishment. Even though there have been rumors this past year that he lost his cultivation, he never stepped outside, and hardly anyone has witnessed his true condition. Besides, Han Feng is full of tricks—he used to play all sorts of devious games to torment me. Who's to say this isn't just a smoke screen he threw out to throw the three great families off?"
Clutching his reddening cheek, the lackey wore an expression filled with grievance.