The leading knight drew his long sword with a sharp ring, its cold gleam pointed directly at Qingyangzi's face. His tone was fierce: "Old man, who is this person tied up in your cart? He's covered in murderous aura—clearly not a good sort. Why don't you hand him over to us? We'll dispose of him and consider it doing justice for heaven!"
Qingyangzi's expression remained unchanged, still carrying a touch of indifference. He spoke slowly: "You gentlemen have misunderstood. This man is a serious criminal wanted by the government. I was entrusted by the East Sea County government office to escort him back for trial. Please do not block the road, lest you get involved in official business and bring unnecessary trouble upon yourselves."
With that, he reached into his robe and pulled out a pitch-black token. Several blurred characters were carved on it. Though not entirely clear, one could still tell it was indeed an official government token.
Lying in the cart, Wu Feng saw it even more clearly. The token was obviously taken from the constables at the inn last night. This old bastard must have stolen it in the chaos. No wonder he could fool him earlier—he really knew how to put on an act.
Seeing the token, the several knights indeed began to hesitate.
Though they roamed the jianghu and valued chivalry, they had no desire to make enemies with the government. If they truly ruined an official escort mission, there would be endless trouble afterward.
The leading knight frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between the token and Wu Feng, his expression uncertain.
"Gentlemen, a wise man knows when to yield," Qingyangzi said as he put away the token, his voice carrying a hint of urgency. "Quickly step aside. I still need to hurry to East Sea County to report back. Let's not ruin our friendly relations."
Just as the knights had already loosened up and were preparing to move aside and let the carriage pass, Wu Feng suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Daddy! Where did you get that token from? I didn't see you carrying it yesterday!"
This sudden "daddy" was like a bolt from the blue. The knights immediately froze in place, once again surrounding the carriage tightly, their eyes filled with vigilance and suspicion.
The leading knight said in a deep voice: "Old man, why is he calling you daddy? You said he was a serious criminal—were you trying to fool us?"
Qingyangzi's face darkened, his tone carrying a trace of impatience: "This man is used to spouting nonsense. He's crazy and delirious—don't believe his rubbish."
Wu Feng, however, refused to let it go and continued to add fuel to the fire, deliberately raising his voice: "Dad, why are you wasting words with them! Just kill these cowards and be done with it. Save us some time on the road."
"I promise you—as long as you kill them, I'll obediently go back to the Taoist temple with you and become a monk. I'll even take over your Taoist hall. You don't need to tie me up anymore; I'll walk on my own!"
These words left Qingyangzi completely speechless, his face turning green then white.
He never expected Wu Feng to be so shameless, forcibly dragging him into this mess.
The knights had now become convinced that the relationship between the two was far from ordinary. The so-called "escorting a serious criminal" was clearly a lie. Their gazes toward Qingyangzi grew increasingly cold.
"Old man, I don't care what your relationship with him is, and I don't care about that government token," the leading knight said, gripping his long sword tightly, his tone turning vicious.
"This bastard just insulted us in public. That debt can't be settled so easily. I won't make things difficult for you—either let me cut out his tongue, chop off one of his ears, or gouge out his nose. You choose. Otherwise, neither of you is leaving here today!"
"You fucking dare?!" Wu Feng immediately cursed back, his eyes as fierce as a tiger's. "With trash like you, you think you're worthy of cutting off my tongue? Believe it or not, I'll castrate you first, then chop you into mincemeat and feed you to the dogs!"
Qingyangzi's patience was completely exhausted. He knew there was no point in explaining anymore. His aura slightly sank as he shouted sternly at the knights:
"Last chance—get out of the way!"
"We're not easily scared either!" The leading knight roared. He swung his sword and thrust it straight at Qingyangzi. "Brothers, attack! Chop these two beasts up and rid the jianghu of a scourge!"
The other four knights all drew their weapons and charged forward right after him, blades and swords swinging as they surrounded and attacked Qingyangzi.
Qingyangzi frowned. He lightly tapped the ground with his foot, his figure moving nimbly to dodge the incoming blades and swords. At the same time, he waved his hand, and an invisible gust of wind suddenly erupted from his body, forming a solid wall of wind.
Several dull thuds rang out. The knights who had charged in first were like they had slammed into a copper wall or iron barrier. They were all bounced back by the wind wall, staggering several steps backward.
Although this move looked impressive and was more than enough to deal with ordinary mortals, these knights were all experienced jianghu fighters with solid skills. After steadying themselves, they were largely unharmed, only showing some surprise on their faces.
Wu Feng, still in the cart, watched everything with a faint, barely noticeable cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
He had gained a better understanding of Qingyangzi's true strength. This old bastard's abilities were only at this level. If they really fought to the death, he wasn't without a chance of winning.
Although the knights had never seen such a strange technique as a wind wall before, they did not back down. Instead, they quickly adjusted their tactics.
Three of the knights immediately charged forward again, their moves becoming even fiercer as they entangled Qingyangzi tightly. Meanwhile, the thin-faced knight slipped around to the back of the carriage, leaped up, and swung his blade straight down toward Wu Feng in the cart.
The blade carried a sharp whistle of wind, aiming directly for Wu Feng's neck.
A sharp glint flashed in Wu Feng's eyes—he had been prepared for this.
During the earlier chaos, he had gritted his teeth through the intense pain and forcibly dislocated the thumb of his right hand. A crisp crack sounded from the joint, and the heart-piercing pain made cold sweat bead on his forehead. But using that force, he had barely managed to slip his right hand out through a gap in the ropes.
At this critical moment, Wu Feng suddenly rolled sideways. The blade grazed past his shoulder and carved a deep gash into the wooden floor of the cart. The thin-faced knight's strike missed. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes as he swung the blade again, this time aiming for Wu Feng's chest.
Wu Feng reacted swiftly. He kicked both legs upward, using the downward force of the falling blade to yank hard.
With a ripping sound, the ropes around his feet were cut through by the blade, and most of his bindings loosened at once.
At the same time, he spread his legs wide open. The descending steel blade landed right between his legs, missing his most vital parts by a mere three inches—a dangerously close call.
"You blind son of a bitch!" Wu Feng roared. Using the strength from his waist, he delivered a vicious kick to the thin-faced knight's abdomen.
The man screamed as his body flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Wu Feng seized the chance to flip over and leap down from the cart, landing firmly on his feet.
The thin-faced knight struggled back up, his eyes filled with viciousness. He raised his blade and charged at Wu Feng once more.
Wu Feng did not retreat. Instead, he advanced. He shifted his body to the side, skillfully dodging the blade, then pressed himself close to his opponent. Using the momentum of the knight's swing, he let the blade just barely graze the remaining ropes on his body.
With a tearing sound, the ropes snapped completely. Wu Feng was finally free.
He stood in place, his left hand tightly gripping his dislocated right thumb. His eyes were ice-cold. Then, with a sudden burst of force—crack—he forcefully popped the thumb back into joint.
The intense pain made him groan, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. Yet the killing intent in his eyes grew even thicker. The ferocious aura accumulated from years of brutal fighting was fully released without reservation.
Seeing this, the thin-faced knight's hand holding the knife began to tremble uncontrollably. Looking into Wu Feng's eyes—eyes like those of a starving tiger—he was frozen in place, too terrified to take even half a step forward.
He had roamed the jianghu for many years but had never seen such a ferocious gaze. It felt as if the other man would devour him alive in the next second.
"Trash," Wu Feng sneered. His figure shot forward like an arrow. He dodged the incoming stab, then used both hands to precisely clamp onto the knight's wrist. With a slight twist—crack—the man's wrist bone shattered. The steel blade clattered to the ground.
Wu Feng picked up the fallen blade and, with a backhand swing, slashed it across the man's shoulder. Blood sprayed out instantly. The thin-faced knight screamed and collapsed to the ground, rolling and howling in agony.
Wu Feng turned to look at the other side of the battlefield. The three knights who had been surrounding Qingyangzi were all clutching their shoulders or chests, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. They had clearly been defeated by Qingyangzi and were now slowly retreating, ready to flee at any moment.
Qingyangzi himself did not look relaxed. He stood there panting slightly. Though his expression remained calm, there was an unmistakable trace of fatigue.
"Retreat!" the leading knight shouted in a low voice. Knowing that staying any longer would only bring more losses, he immediately led his men onto their horses and fled.
Qingyangzi did not give chase. Instead, he slowly turned around, his gaze landing on Wu Feng behind him. Their eyes met directly.