Chapter 83: Acting Without Hesitation

At that moment, everyone was focused on the matter of Ling Yunfei’s mother.

No one had been on guard.

Even less had anyone expected that, to this very day, the master of the Ling family would remain so stubbornly unrepentant, still bent on killing Qin Feiyang.

But the crowd’s lack of vigilance did not mean Qin Feiyang was careless as well.

Elder Yuan had warned him time and again: no matter whether the enemy was strong or weak, he must give it his all.

So even though the master of the Ling family had already become a prisoner, Qin Feiyang did not lower his guard.

The instant the Ling family master’s fist blasted toward him, he seized Ling Yunfei without the slightest hesitation, unfolded the Misty Smoke Steps, and retreated swiftly.

He knew very well that if the Ling family master missed once, he would surely target Ling Yunfei again.

The Ling family master’s punch missed, but he did not give up. He continued to lunge toward them.

With Qin Feiyang’s cultivation, even empowered by the Misty Smoke Steps, his speed still could not compare with the Ling family master’s.

If no one had been there beside them, both men would have died today for certain.

But one must not forget that several powerful figures were present as well.

After Xiong Luo and the Hall Master of the Martial Hall reacted, they both darted toward the Ling family master almost at the same time.

Cold light flashed in their eyes.

Both were Martial Kings; how astonishingly fast was their speed?

In the blink of an eye, they seized the Ling family master and forcibly suppressed him.

The Ling family master’s face turned ashen, and he sank utterly into despair.

He understood that no one could possibly step forward to help him now.

Even if the city lord had wanted to, he no longer had the courage.

Qin Feiyang said in a grave voice, “City lord, how do you intend to deal with this man?”

“And what do you think?” the city lord asked in return.

Qin Feiyang said, “If you ask me, kill him outright. It would solve everything at once.”

The city lord replied, “It has not yet become so serious that blood must be shed. Very well, later I will post an announcement and expel the Ling family from Black Bear City.”

The Ling family master was overjoyed.

As long as he did not die, there was still a chance!

Qin Feiyang’s brows rose.

Expel the Ling family from Black Bear City?

That was nothing but a joke.

The city lord was clearly still shielding the Ling family.

Qin Feiyang glanced at the city lord, then looked at the Ling family master. Seeing him pinned down by Xiong Luo and the Hall Master of the Martial Hall, unable even to move while kneeling on the ground, Qin Feiyang knew this was an excellent opportunity.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he said indifferently, “Since that is the case, then I have a few words I would like to say to the Ling family master.”

He strode over, leaned close to the Ling family master’s ear, and said in a low voice, “You think that with the city lord protecting you, you can escape disaster today?”

The words had barely fallen when he drew out Cang Xue, swung it fiercely, and slit the Ling family master’s throat in a single motion before immediately putting Cang Xue away again.

It was too fast.

And everyone had been utterly unprepared.

They saw only a white flash, gone in an instant, and then a clean, precise gash appeared across the Ling family master’s throat, blood gushing out like a column.

“You...”

The Ling family master stared at Qin Feiyang, his eyes filled with venomous hatred, as if he wanted to say something. But before he could utter another word, his head tilted, and he died on the spot.

Everyone stood there dumbstruck.

Especially the disciples of the Ling family, who were now so anxious and panicked they were nearly at their wit’s end.

With the family master dead, their pillar had collapsed. For them, it was as though the end of the world had arrived.

Boom!

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted like a mountain torrent, shaking the entire scene!

It was the city lord losing his temper.

After being provoked time and again, he was on the verge of going berserk.

Yet at the same time, Xiong Luo also released his own aura, confronting the city lord head-on.

The two great figures locked eyes, their expressions growing colder by the moment.

“Hmph!”

At last, with a frosty snort, the city lord swept his sleeves and turned away in furious departure.

He no longer dared remain.

For he feared that if he continued to endure, he might truly end up clashing with Xiong Luo.

Once the city lord left, the disciples and servants of the Ling family became even more unsettled.

Though the Treasure Pavilion’s master possessed the ability to stand against Xiong Luo, he clearly had no desire to meddle in such matters.

The stance of the Hall Master of the Martial Hall had also changed because of Ling Yunfei.

Now, who could help them?

And who would be willing to?

They all knew that today might well be the Ling family’s last day.

Xiong Luo swept a glance over the members of the Ling family and said, “Let’s go. We’ll wait outside.”

The group left the Ling residence.

And yet, as the Ling family watched Qin Feiyang and the others depart, not only did they feel no joy at all, but they instead grew ever more lost, ever more heavy-hearted.

Though the sun blazed overhead, they felt as if a curtain of dark clouds had descended above the Ling family.

The fat man moved up beside Qin Feiyang and said with a sycophantic smile, “Big Brother Jiang, you’d better keep your word.”

“You won’t be treated badly, that much is certain,” Qin Feiyang said, patting the fat man’s shoulder. Then he turned to Ling Yunfei and smiled faintly. “When Elder Feng and the others bring your mother back, you must thank them properly, and this Lord Fatty as well.”

“Mm.”

Ling Yunfei nodded and cupped his hands. “Thank you, Brother Fatty.”

The fat man waved a hand. “We’re all brothers here, so why be so formal? Still, you really are good at hiding things, kid. You fooled the Ling family for more than ten years, and you fooled everyone in Black Bear City as well.”

“I never wanted it to be this way,” Ling Yunfei said gloomily.

The fat man went over and draped an arm around Ling Yunfei’s shoulder, grinning. “Brother, a good life is still waiting for us to enjoy. As for all those rotten things in the past, let’s just treat them like a fart and let them go. The stink is on someone else anyway, right?”

“Uh...”

Ling Yunfei was stunned.

What kind of logic was that?

And yet, after hearing the fat man say it, his heart did indeed feel much lighter all at once.

Even Qin Feiyang could not help but shake his head and laugh.

Though this fat man was usually rather unreliable, at crucial moments he was still quite dependable.

“Ling Yunfei, I killed your second uncle. Do you hate me?”

He suddenly asked.

“Of course not.”

“Originally, I thought that if he died before my eyes, I would at least feel somewhat sad.”

“But when he truly died before my eyes, I found that I couldn’t feel sad at all. In fact, there was even a strong sense of satisfaction in my heart.”

Ling Yunfei said.

Qin Feiyang and the fat man exchanged a look. Just how deep must that resentment have been?

For all his life, Ling Yunfei likely had never enjoyed even a single peaceful day.

“Gentlemen, who exactly killed Zhao Six and Li Seven?”

“And just now, why did the city lord look so furious?”

As soon as Qin Feiyang and the others stepped out of the Ling residence, the heads of the various families immediately surrounded them, their eyes full of suspicion and astonishment.

Xiong Luo said, “It was ordered by the Ling family master. He had the steward of the Ling family kill them in order to frame Jiang Haotian!”

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

The fat man stepped forward and declared grandly, “By the way, let me tell you something else: the Ling family master is dead, and the city lord has personally ordered that the Ling family be stricken from Black Bear City from this day onward!”

The news detonated the entire scene at once.

Within only a few hundred breaths, it spread to every corner of Black Bear City, known to all.

Some were shocked.

Some were delighted.

The ones delighted were naturally the heads of the Jiang family and the Mu family.

For with the destruction of the Ling family, one formidable rival had been removed.

From this day on, the situation in Black Bear City would no longer be a three-way stalemate.

Most importantly, with the Ling family gone, the benefits they could obtain would be greater still.

As for the heads of the smaller families, they were likely already calculating in secret how they might rise to become the third great family after the Ling family.

Half an hour later, Feng Cheng and Elder Mo finally returned.

Behind them followed a woman.

Her hair was disheveled, her face deathly pale and haggard, and her clothes were filthy beyond measure.

She looked as though she had just crawled out of a rubbish heap, and from her body came a nauseating stench.

Moreover, two pitch-black iron chains were bound around her wrists and ankles, each thick as a baby’s arm.

As she walked, they clanged continuously.

Both chains were extremely heavy, and every step she took was labored.

“Mother!”

Ling Yunfei’s body trembled. He stared unblinkingly at the woman, tears pouring down his face in an instant, his heart aching terribly.

Not only Ling Yunfei, but even Qin Feiyang, Xiong Luo, and the others could not help but feel a sting in their hearts.

“Fei’er!”

The woman had also seen Ling Yunfei. She stopped in her tracks and called out softly.

Tears, too, could not stop falling from her eyes.

“Mother...”

Ling Yunfei roared, rushed forward at once, and embraced the woman in a tight, weeping hug.

Xiong Luo asked, “Old Feng, Old Mo, why didn’t you help her remove the iron chains?”

Feng Cheng smiled. “Such matters are better left to her son.”

Elder Mo also had a faint smile on his face.

Qin Feiyang said in confusion, “Two elders, where are the Ling family’s clan elders?”

Feng Cheng replied, “We let them go.”

“Let them go?”

Qin Feiyang’s expression changed.

Those clan elders were all Martial Sect experts. That was nothing short of letting a tiger return to the mountains.

Feng Cheng waved a hand dismissively. “Do not worry. This old man has already given them a severe lesson. I believe they will no longer dare come looking for trouble with you and Ling Yunfei.”

“Let us hope so,” Qin Feiyang murmured.

The destruction of the Ling family had been caused by his own hand.

He was also the one who had killed the Ling family master.

He did not believe those clan elders would simply let matters rest.

But since they had been let go, what else could be done?

From now on, they could only be more careful.

Xiong Luo smiled. “Jiang Haotian, let’s go. Give the mother and son some time alone.”

Qin Feiyang nodded.

Though he still had many questions in his heart, this was clearly not the time to ask them.

After Qin Feiyang and the others left, the rest also dispersed one after another.

The Jiang family master glanced at the gate of the Ling residence, a strange glimmer flashing in his eyes. He walked up beside the Mu family master and said in a low voice, “I have something to discuss with you.”

The Mu family master looked at him with some surprise. “Coincidentally, I also have something I want to discuss with you.”

The two family heads then blended into the crowd and quickly departed.

Soon, only the Hall Master of the Martial Hall and Ling Yunfei’s mother remained.

The Hall Master stepped forward and smiled. “Yunfei, your mother must be tired as well. Let us return to the Martial Hall first so your mother can soak in a hot bath and relax properly. Then the two of you can talk slowly.”

“All right.”

Ling Yunfei nodded, then turned to look around, slightly taken aback. “Where are Jiang Haotian and the others?”

The Hall Master replied, “They left first.”

Ling Yunfei said anxiously, “I have not even properly thanked them. How could they leave?”

“There will be plenty of time in the future. Why are you in such a hurry?” the Hall Master said with a smile, shaking his head.

“That is true.”

Ling Yunfei smiled and nodded. He borrowed a dagger from the Hall Master, carefully cut through the two iron chains, then helped support his mother and, while telling her of everything that had happened in recent days, followed the Hall Master toward the alchemy hall.

At the same time, guards from the city lord’s manor went to the main gates of the city and posted a proclamation.

Its general contents were as follows:

The Ling family had spread falsehoods and committed many evils. From this day forth, they were erased from Black Bear City, and all members of the Ling family were ordered to leave the city before dawn the following day.

Once this proclamation was posted, the downfall of the Ling family became a settled fact, beyond anyone’s power to change.

But within the city lord’s manor, the city lord summoned two guards.

Both were his trusted confidants.

“You two leave the city at once. No matter what it takes, find the Ling family’s clan elders. Once you find them, keep quiet and do not bring them back. For now, place them in the nearby mountains and await my next order.”

After issuing the command, the two men immediately accepted and departed.

“Little bastard, do you think this means it is over? Let me tell you, it has only just begun.”

A cold smile spread across the city lord’s face, and fierce killing intent surged in his eyes.