Chapter 28: A Shameless Scoundrel

With the mastermind brought to justice, Xu Feng tidied up the battlefield briefly before leaving the mountaintop. He did not bother searching for valuables; wealth was nothing but fleeting clouds to him. As for martial arts manuals, they were unnecessary, as he could simply absorb the bandit leader’s memories without the trouble.

The scene was a chaotic mess, strewn with corpses. Shortly after he left, the others arrived on the peak.

"Where is the Ghost-Masked Man? Why don't I see him?"
"Could he have run into danger? Quickly, search the area!"
"That shouldn't be the case. If he lacked confidence in his own strength, he wouldn't have come up the mountain alone."

After all, he had saved their lives, and most of the martial artists were honorable enough to feel indebted. Only Zuo Jincheng followed behind the group with visible reluctance; he wanted no association with the Ghost-Masked Man and refused to acknowledge that the man had saved his life.

"Why waste time here? If you ask me, he’s probably already run off. We’d best head back and report to the authorities."

No one paid heed to Zuo Jincheng’s nonsense. Just then, an exclamation rang out from nearby.

"Look here! Is this the bandit leader? The other lieutenants are all here as well."
"That’s him! I’ve seen him before—he has a very distinct mole on his forehead."

The crowd swarmed over, babbling. The bandit leader’s body was covered in sword wounds, the one across his throat being particularly gruesome. The sight was enough to chill the blood. Zuo Jincheng involuntarily touched his own throat, his body shivering as his eyes filled with apprehension. He had not spent much time with the Ghost-Masked Man, but the speed at which that man’s strength had grown was unheard of.

*If this continues, I’ll have to walk the long way around whenever I see him,* he thought, forced to admit that the Ghost-Masked Man’s power had already surpassed his own.

"What do we do now? Brother Zuo, how do we explain this to the imperial court when we return?"
"Should we keep the Ghost-Masked Man’s existence a secret?"

With the matter concluded, the group had to reach a consensus before leaving. Zuo Jincheng, who had been silent for a moment, jumped back into the fray.

"Of course, we take the bandit leader’s body back to claim the reward. We tell them he died at our hands. There is no other way to explain it, given how many people died."

"Besides, the Ghost-Masked Man has been killing indiscriminately in Gusu City. If people find out we were involved with him, we will become the targets of public outrage."

Zuo Jincheng laid out the stakes. No one spoke in agreement; everyone felt uneasy. Stealing someone else’s credit and then blackening their name was not the way most of them liked to operate. Sensing their hesitation, Zuo Jincheng added, "Don't forget, the Ghost-Masked Man is already being hunted by the Six Fan School. If they discover we have ties to him, the consequences will be more than any of us can bear."

In the end, the group had no choice but to compromise. "Very well, we will do as Young Master Zuo suggests."

On the surface, Zuo Jincheng had won a complete victory—he secured all the benefits and claimed the credit—but in reality, what he lost was far more significant. The martial arts friends he had brought along now saw his true colors; he was nothing more than a hypocritical villain. They would certainly not help him in the future. The facade of virtue Zuo Jincheng had cultivated for so long had been torn away.

Meanwhile, Xu Feng returned to his small courtyard. After cleaning up to ensure no scent of blood remained on him, he lay on his bed to wait for news. Elder Feng had not yet been returned, and the Feng estate would surely be lively later.

Before long, a commotion broke out outside. Stepping out, he saw Zuo Jincheng returning with Elder Feng. The sisters, Feng Yuzhi and her sister, were overjoyed to see the old man. Feng Yuzhi, in particular, looked as if she wanted to throw herself into Zuo Jincheng’s arms.

"Thank you, Brother Zuo! I knew you wouldn't let me down. Thanks to you, the Feng family was able to overcome this disaster."
"A trivial matter, nothing to take to heart. The old man has had a fright; you should get him to rest."

Xu Feng had just arrived outside and heard their exchange. He understood that Zuo Jincheng had shamelessly taken all the credit, which was entirely in line with his character.

"Xu Feng, you're back from wandering around? Completely useless. Look at Brother Zuo!" Feng Yuzhi scolded as soon as she saw him.

Elder Feng was also displeased; he had been kidnapped by bandits, and yet Xu Feng still had the mood to wander about. "We encourage you to study for a career, you aren't interested. We tell you to practice martial arts, you complain it's too tiring. You can't really spend your whole life being a good-for-nothing, can you?"

Zuo Jincheng chimed in, "With the old man’s life hanging in the balance, he still had the heart to roam. I think it’s time you set some rules so that some people know their place."

Xu Feng ignored them, looking at Zuo Jincheng with a mocking smile. "Was it truly you who saved him? Did you save him with your own hands, without anyone else interfering?"

Zuo Jincheng wanted to nod, but the thought of the Ghost-Masked Man made him feel guilty. To his surprise, Elder Feng defended him. "Of course it was him. Who else could it be? If not for Nephew Zuo, my trip would have ended in disaster."

Seeing this, Xu Feng said nothing more. If not for Feng Yumian, he would never have bothered to save the man.

"You've even learned to question others? Father came back with Young Master Zuo, how could it be a lie? You were out hiding and enjoying yourself, not knowing how worried we were at home." Hearing that Xu Feng had been hiding made Elder Feng even angrier.

"Yuzhi, you can't say it like that. He only knows how to write a few poems; you can't expect him to compose poems for bandits, can you?" Zuo Jincheng’s mockery intensified. Seeing that he had no intention of showing restraint, Xu Feng retorted, "It’s best if you truly were the one who saved him, lest you be here fawning over people after stealing someone else’s credit."

The words struck Zuo Jincheng to the core, causing him to fly into a rage. "What did you say? How dare you insult me!"

He prepared to attack, but Xu Feng did not resist. He simply dodged; Zuo Jincheng was no longer his match, and if Xu Feng did not want to be hit, Zuo Jincheng couldn't touch him. Zuo Jincheng, refusing to believe it, accidentally tore open Xu Feng’s sleeve, and his pupils constricted.

"How did you get injured?"

When the Ghost-Masked Man had blocked the first wave of arrows for the group, he had been struck by one. Zuo Jincheng had seen it clearly. Now, seeing a matching wound on Xu Feng’s arm, it was hard not to draw conclusions.

"I ran into a beggar at the gate while I was out earlier and was scratched," Xu Feng explained calmly. Whether Zuo Jincheng believed him or not was his own affair.