Martial Field, Audience Area. A few minutes before Shen Hong and his family arrived.
"The Boss is looking fine standing there alone. It doesn't look like he was about to break Shen Fei's spine at all." The adults in the Divine Family and Snow Wind Family seating area all sent weird looks in Mei Lin's direction.
Despite that, none of them dared to correct her words, as they themselves had no idea what Xue Hui was thinking when he issued a Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment challenge to Shen Fei.
"Do you think that Master is really going to kill that Shen Fei guy?" Instead of giving a verbal answer, Chen Linlin, Jing Ya, and Mei Lin all shrugged their shoulders at Yue Ling's question. They were all in the dark about what was running through Xue Hui's mind.
"Ning'er, are you okay? You don't have to watch this if you're uncomfortable with what's going on."
Xiao Ning'er just shook her head and smiled to lessen Chen Linlin's worries.
"I'm quite okay, Linlin. I don't feel uncomfortable or anything. I know Xue Hui will do just fine," she stated, while feeling glad in her heart knowing that she had such caring friends like Chen Linlin.
Chen Linlin bit her lip before shaking her head to clarify what she meant.
"No, not that. I already know Hui-hui will come out of this duel victorious. I'm worried about... you know... people have been talking behind your back, Ning'er, and some of it is quite unpleasant to hear."
"Oh!"
Xiao Ning'er scanned the crowd and immediately saw some people giving her nasty glares, while others whispered to each other while sneaking glances at her.
"Yeah, girl. Those people keep spouting nonsense about you. I don't know how you can hold yourself back and not rain a beating down on those bastards," Mei Lin interjected. She was genuinely baffled by how Xiao Ning'er could still keep her cool despite those nasty rumors going around.
Even she and Jing Ya had gotten into confrontations when they accidentally heard groups of people falsely spreading rumors about their friend.
But the subject of those rumors herself seemed unfazed by it.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Ning'er just let out a soft laugh, completely unaffected by all the whispers around her.
"Nope! They can say what they want. The only opinions that matter to me are those of my friends, my father, and Xue Hui. Everyone else's is just background noise."
Chen Linlin, Mei Lin, and everyone in their seating area looked at Xiao Ning'er in awe after hearing her words.
"Wait, Brother Yufeng approved your relationship with Xiao Hui?"
This time it was Chen Zhenlong who joined the conversation.
Xiao Ning'er's face became flushed. It felt so surreal to her to talk about her relationship with Xue Hui in front of Chen Linlin's father.
This was not how Xiao Ning'er had imagined Chen Zhenlong and his wives would treat her. She had been fully prepared to be subjected to harsh treatment from them, having essentially tried to take their daughter's fiancé. To her surprise, none of that happened; on the contrary, Chen Linlin's parents were quite accepting of her relationship with Xue Hui.
"Yes. My father said that if Xue Hui is willing to take me as his..."
Xiao Ning'er's face completely turned red, realizing how bold her next words were.
"Wife, then Father will be okay with it and even give his blessings to both of us."
Xiao Ning'er finished while hiding her face in Xiao Julin's hair.
Mei Lin let out a snort and leaned back in her chair coolly.
"Girl, your father is pretty cool. But I mean, I'm not surprised he'd be okay with the Boss becoming your husband. His options are between a human piece of trash and a future hero of Glory City. Even my mom keeps encouraging me to seduce the Boss to secure a concubine spot."
"How!?" Jing Ya inquired, curious about Mei Lin's mother's methods.
"Remember that nightgown I took out during our sleepover? The one that barely covers anything? Yeah, my mom bought that thing so I could wear it in front of the Boss," Mei Lin replied unashamedly.
Chen Zhenlong, Ye Zong, and all the adults in their seating area nearly choked upon hearing Mei Lin's words.
Before they could continue their conversation, someone in the crowd yelled, announcing the arrival of Shen Hong and several elders of the Sacred Family.
Ye Zong and Chen Zhenlong exchanged looks. They had both expected Shen Hong to stand between Xue Hui and his son in an attempt to bail Shen Fei out of the mess they were in.
At that moment, Chen Linlin suddenly stood up from her chair, preparing to leave.
"Linlin, where are you going? Shen Fei and his family are all here."
Hearing Yue Ling's question, Chen Linlin's cheeks dusted with red. Looking around, she leaned closer to her friends and whispered,
"M-my stomach suddenly feels bad. I need to go to the restroom."
"I told you not to eat those skewers. They're no good for you," Jing Ya chided.
Which immediately received a reaction from Mei Lin.
"False. Fake news. Those skewers are the best. I eat them every time, you know, and I've never felt sick even once."
Jing Ya gave Mei Lin a deadpan stare, baffled by the girl's lack of common sense.
"Of course you'll be fine eating those things. You've eaten them so much that you've basically built up immunity to that kind of food."
"While the two continued to bicker, Chen Linlin quietly slipped away and hurried to the restroom.
The entire martial field was enveloped by a dense, heavy atmosphere.
Shen Hong used his sharp tongue to paint Xue Hui as the villain.
And judging by the reactions of the surrounding people, he was doing a great job of it.
"This is why we need to be careful when exposing the Sacred Family and their crimes. That damn Shen Hong is really good at twisting his words."
Ye Zong nodded after receiving Chen Zhenlong's voice transmission.
"Shen Hong is a shrewd person. The Sacred Family has been trying for decades to rise in power, but only when Shen Hong took over the patriarchal position did they truly become one of the three major families. Without enough evidence to expose his crimes, he would only use his wit to create chaos among the citizens," Ye Zong added.
In the end, what Chen Zhenlong and Ye Zong worried about most was how much damage Glory City would incur once they tried to remove the Sacred Family.
Shen Hong continued to rile up the people while standing between Xue Hui and Shen Fei to prevent the duel from beginning.
"You have wasted my time long enough."
Those words were like an enormous mountain hammering down upon the members of the Sacred Family.
Not only Ye Zong, but every person in the audience area rose from their seats once the cloaked figure revealed himself and suppressed Shen Hong, preventing him from speaking further.
The appearance of the cloaked figure plunged the entire martial field into deadly silence, as no one could fully comprehend what they were witnessing.
While everyone was aware of the existence of mysterious Legend-rank experts, there had only been a handful of occasions when the cloaked figure had shown himself. As a result, people were astonished every time they appeared before the public.
Terrified out of his wits, Shen Fei quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to run, leaving everyone in shock as they watched him abandon his family without hesitation.
However, his attempt remained futile when a bolt of Judgment Lightning struck the ground in front of him, stopping his escape.
With nowhere left to run, Shen Fei called for his father, only for his cries to remain unanswered. Under the cloaked figure's soul suppression, Shen Hong could do nothing but grit his teeth while listening to Shen Fei's pathetic wails.
"Since you are not willing to die, I will let you off the hook if you do one thing for me, Shen Fei."
Everyone who heard Xue Hui's words looked confused. From the very beginning, Xue Hui had been adamant about continuing the duel, even when Shen Hong stepped in to save his son. Yet now, out of nowhere, Xue Hui was offering Shen Fei a way out.
"Yes! Yes! I will do anything Young Master Xue Hui orders me to do. anything. Just spare my life. I don't want to die."
While some people felt bad for Shen Fei, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed by how pathetic he was acting, enough for some to avert their gaze.
Shen Fei was literally crawling on his knees, his face covered in tears, snot, and dirt. His current appearance was vastly different from his usual arrogant demeanor.
"Good, good. Now you sound like someone who's using his head instead of his other head."
Xue Hui took out a piece of paper from his interspatial ring and beckoned Shen Fei to come closer.
Which Shen Fei immediately did.
Once Shen Fei was within arm's reach, Xue Hui handed him the piece of paper. The action confused Shen Fei, but he still reached out to receive it, afraid that Xue Hui might change his mind and continue the duel.
After handing over the paper, Xue Hui turned his attention toward the gathering dark clouds and spread both arms wide as if communing with them.
"Overseer of the Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment, Shen Fei has lost the heart to fight and is asking me to void the contract between us. I, Xue Hui, am willing to abide and cancel the duel if Shen Fei follows my condition."
The expressions of the crowd all turned to terror when the mass of dark clouds released a thunderous roar, loud enough to shake the entire martial field in response to Xue Hui's words.
"My condition is that Shen Fei must read aloud the name of every woman he targeted and kowtow in repentance for the crimes he committed against each and every one of them. If he refuses, then the duel must continue."
Shen Fei's entire body shook in terror when the dark clouds responded once more.
He lowered his gaze to the piece of paper in his hands, and his heart filled with dread. He recognized some of the names written on the list.
Shen Fei realized that Xue Hui wanted him to admit all of his crimes in front of everyone.
"My fellow citizens, while it is true that this duel stems from my desire to take Xiao Ning'er away from Shen Fei, the real reason I offended Shen Fei and lured him into the Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment was to seek justice for those who suffered under his torment.
The names written on that paper belong to all the women Shen Fei has wronged over the years. Shen Fei used his family's influence to commit heinous acts against those women and escaped punishment for his actions.
Today, Shen Fei must personally repent for his crimes before all of you, or the Judgment Lightning will strike him for refusing to do so."
The audience erupted into an even greater uproar after hearing Xue Hui's declaration.
While it was no secret that Shen Fei liked to play with women, many people were unaware that he had committed actual crimes. After all, no one had publicly filed complaints against him. Therefore, most assumed his actions were not particularly serious.
The dark clouds released three consecutive roars, signaling to everyone that Xue Hui's condition had been acknowledged by the Blood Oath Duel of Dao Judgment.
"Go on, Shen Fei. Start reading those names."
Shen Hong gritted his teeth and cursed Xue Hui in his heart.
What Xue Hui intended to do was not only expose Shen Fei's crimes but also expose the Sacred Family as a whole.
Shen Hong tried to channel his soul force through his meridians in a futile attempt to stop Shen Fei, but he was powerless against the strength of the cloaked figure suppressing him.
Blood trickled down the corner of Shen Hong's lips. Being suppressed to the point where he could not move was simply infuriating, and his heart was filled with indignation.
He had come to the martial field intending to corner Xue Hui and force him to void the contract.
Who would have thought that Xue Hui and his master would be so domineering?
Even Shen Hong had been caught off guard by their actions.
The moment Shen Hong heard Shen Fei read the names on the list, he knew that the Sacred Family's reputation would suffer enormously.
'Why do I only have useless sons?' Shen Hong thought inwardly.
He hated Xue Hui and his master. Ever since they appeared, all of his plans had fallen apart.
'You think that just because you have a Legend-rank Demon Spiritualist on your side, I won't be able to do anything against you, boy? You underestimate me far too much. This humiliation... you're going to pay for it very soon, you damn brat.'
Shen Hong cursed inwardly. A gleamed of viciousness flashes through his eyes.
End of Chapter 70
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