168: conflict

The madam hurriedly blocked their path, fawning with a smile as she said, "Oh my, sir, what is all this for? Let's keep the peace!"

The man ignored the madam's attempt to stop him, and dragging Ruyan along, he kicked open the door to Lin Chuan's room.

The two men, who had been in the middle of drinking, froze and looked toward the doorway.

The man scanned the interior of the room from the doorway and shouted, "Everyone get out!"

This man was a regular here, so the singing girls and dancers naturally knew who he was, and they all lowered their heads and scurried out.

Lin Chuan shouted, "Hey! What is going on? Why are you all leaving? I'm going to give you a bad review!"

Once the female cultivators had left, the man finally took a careful look at the three people in the room.

First, he carefully examined Lin Chuan, who was sitting in the middle. After sizing up his attire and seeing that it did not look like the style of the Central Province, he felt much more at ease.

He then glanced at the woman sitting next to Lin Chuan; she looked like a guard, but he could not sense any cultivation from her.

Finally, he looked at Li Rufeng. He suddenly felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, but after thinking it over carefully, he really could not place him, so he assumed he was not anyone of importance.

Believing he had figured out the background of the three, the man shouted, "Are you the ones who bullied my goddaughter?"

Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Goddaughter? Who is that?"

Ruyan walked in and said, "This is my godfather!"

Lin Chuan had not expected to run into such a cliché plotline, so he smiled and said, "Oh? Godfather?"

The man glared and shouted, "Do you know who I am?"

Lin Chuan smiled at Li Rufeng and said, "He's called 'godfather' to his Face, but what about behind his back?" He then let out a lewd laugh.

Li Rufeng understood Lin Chuan's implication instantly, but he replied, "You've got the wrong idea this time. He might want to, but he doesn't have the ability to!"

"Oh? Do tell!" Lin Chuan said, his interest piqued.

Seeing that he was being completely ignored, the man at the doorway was instantly incensed. Spiritual power surged within him, and it looked as though he was about to strike!

But Li Rufeng suddenly turned his head and said to the man, "Eunuch Wei, if you want to die, then go ahead and strike!"

Upon having his identity suddenly revealed, the man at the doorway froze in surprise and asked incredulously, "You know me?"

"Of course I do. Aren't you the Director of Internal Affairs, Eunuch Wei? Why, has it been so many years that you don't recognize me anymore?" Li Rufeng stood up and smiled.

Eunuch Wei calmed down and looked at the old man before him, slowly superimposing his image with a figure in his mind.

Although he was older and looked more weather-beaten, his image still overlapped with that of the high-spirited Li Rufeng from years ago.

"You are… Li… Rufeng?!" Eunuch Wei exclaimed in astonishment.

"Hehe, so you do still recognize me?" Li Rufeng chuckled.

"Hmph, and so what? You, Li Rufeng, are no longer what you once were. In terms of cultivation, there is little difference between us, but when it comes to status, you are no longer my equal!" Eunuch Wei snorted coldly.

"You bullied my goddaughter today. You may escape the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. Even if it is you, Li Rufeng, you must give me an explanation today!" Eunuch Wei said, his Face full of arrogance.

"Oh? Do you think that I, Li Rufeng, no longer have my former prestige, and now you want to step on me?" Li Rufeng teased.

"Hmph, and what if I do? Don't forget, you vowed years ago never to design another Secret Realm. You have no value now, so what if I step on you?" Eunuch Wei sneered.

"Sigh, it seems I can't protect you. But, if you dare to strike today, you're a dead man regardless!" Li Rufeng said helplessly.

"Just you?"

"No. I know you are also at the Soul Transformation stage; we are evenly matched, and I can't be bothered to make a move." Li Rufeng poured himself a glass of wine and smiled.

"Disciple, I leave this to you!" Li Rufeng said after downing the wine.

Lin Chuan smiled and asked, "You are a eunuch from the imperial palace?"

Eunuch Wei smiled and replied, "And what if I am?"

"Oh, my apologies, my apologies! Come, come, sit down and have a drink!" Lin Chuan greeted him enthusiastically.

Seeing that this junior knew how to conduct himself, Eunuch Wei felt that he had gained a lot of Face, but he still arrogantly said, "Spare me that. It's too late to apologize now!"

Lin Chuan, however, said, "Apologize? You've misunderstood. It's just that this is my first time seeing a eunuch. Come, sit down and tell me, does one really have to cut off their manhood to be a eunuch? Does it hurt? And when you go to the bathroom, do you squat or stand?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Wei's Face turned bright red with rage, and he cursed, "Very well! How dare you humiliate me! You have brought this upon yourself—die!"

Eunuch Wei suddenly raised his hand, and a massive amount of spiritual power transformed into an invisible, sharp cone that shot directly toward Lin Chuan.

The next moment, Number 28, who had been sitting on the sidelines, abruptly stood up, and a bright yellow light shield enveloped the three of them.

Eunuch Wei's attack struck the light shield directly and was neutralized.

Lin Chuan raised his wine glass and said, "Don't kill him; leave him with a breath!"

Number 28 rushed out and threw a punch directly at Eunuch Wei.

The spiritual power on the fist transformed into a fierce tiger that lunged straight at Eunuch Wei.

Eunuch Wei's expression changed as he naturally sensed the power of that punch. He immediately mobilized all his spiritual power and roared, "Heavenly Spirit Golden Bell!"

A palm-sized bell flew out from his waist, suddenly expanded, and enveloped him. He compressed all his spiritual power within the bell, maximizing his defense.

With a 'hum,' Number 28's punch struck the bell, producing a deafening sound.

The sound instantly rippled outward, causing the female cultivators with lower cultivation to immediately cover their ears and collapse to the ground with screams.

Surprisingly, Ruyan was the closest, yet she remained completely unfazed by the resounding chime.

As the sound of the bell spread, the entire Wanchun Pavilion was instantly filled with wails.

Even the entire wooden building shook twice.

"Hahaha, is that all you've got!" Eunuch Wei, inside the bell, saw that he had blocked the attack and laughed arrogantly.

"Heh, he's hiding in a turtle shell and still acting arrogant!" Lin Chuan cursed angrily.

Seeing that the first punch had failed to subdue the enemy, Number 28 immediately stepped forward and threw a second punch.

This punch transformed into the shape of a Dragon's head, and its power was clearly much greater than the first.

With another 'hum,' the fist struck the bell again, erupting with a sound even heavier than before.

Some of the female cultivators shrieked as their ears began to bleed; they clutched their chests, clearly having suffered internal organ damage from the shockwave.

This time, Ruyan frowned, but that was the extent of her reaction.

After this punch, Eunuch Wei's golden bell was covered in cracks and looked like it was about to give out.

However, Number 28's third punch was already bearing down on him, forcing him to defend with all his might.

Number 28's third punch was accompanied by the sound of a Dragon's roar. The Dragon's head formed by the spiritual power on the fist was not only tangible but also imbued with a hint of spirit.

Just as Eunuch Wei fell into despair, the madam, who was not far away, suddenly rushed forward, waved her long sleeves to entangle Number 28's fist, and pulled it toward herself.

The force of the punch flew directly at the madam, yet she reached out and caught Number 28's fist!

She hurriedly urged, "Stop, stop! My shop is going to be demolished by you all! Peace is precious, let's keep the peace!"