Chapter 37: A Two-Way Choice

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From beginning to end, neither she nor Old Master Feng had ever intended to treat him sincerely. In their eyes, he was worth less than even a servant in the household.

“Xu Feng, Yuzhi is right. If you lack the ability yet dare to claim this achievement as your own, once word gets out, the Feng family will become a laughingstock. It will do you no good either.”

“How about this? Go to the treasury now and collect one hundred taels of silver. That will be more than enough for you to squander for a while. Naturally, we won’t let you suffer a loss.”

A heaven-sent achievement had fallen into their hands, and they thought one hundred taels would be enough to send him away. Xu Feng was hardly foolish enough to be deceived so easily.

“I’m sorry, but I was the one who brought it back. If you dare hand it over to Zuo Jincheng behind my back, don’t blame me for reporting it. When that happens, no one will benefit.”

This time, Xu Feng had no intention of compromising. At the very least, he would not allow others to take advantage of him for nothing.

Old Master Feng and Feng Yuzhi clearly had not expected him to be so unyielding. Enraged and humiliated, they began cursing him one after another.

“You worthless wretch. A man like you will never amount to anything in your entire life. Even if you were allowed to claim the achievement, the imperial court would never make use of you. Do you really think you possess Lord Zuo’s abilities?”

“You ungrateful fool. It seems the Feng family has raised a thankless wolf.”

The father and daughter grew increasingly vicious. Perhaps, in their eyes, Xu Feng had never truly been one of the family.

And that was indeed the truth. At most, the two sides merely lived under the same roof. Xu Feng had never been accepted into this household.

Just as the two were hurling abuse at him, an incongruous voice came from outside the door.

“Heh. Today I have finally seen what true shamelessness looks like. The two of you really have no sense of shame.”

“You actually have the nerve to call Young Master Xu an ungrateful wolf? If the Xu family’s ancestors had not once supported your forebears, where would the Feng family’s current glory have come from? Yet in your mouths, that support has somehow become charity bestowed upon Young Master Xu. If word gets out that the Feng family treats the descendants of its benefactors this way, aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?”

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Honglian, who had returned.

Her arrival took everyone by surprise, including Xu Feng.

“Young Master Xu, I failed to consider things properly. I should have accompanied you back myself.”

“But it is not too late. I just happened to witness the shameless behavior of these two.”

Honglian’s words left Old Master Feng flushed with embarrassment and shame.

Even Feng Yuzhi’s expression darkened. She did not know how to respond. After all, the Xu family had once shown an enormous kindness to the ancestors of the Feng family.

“Miss Honglian, this is a family matter. It is inappropriate for an outsider like you to interfere, isn’t it?”

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“Besides, Xu Feng is my husband. We do not need an outsider making decisions about matters between us.”

So now she remembered that Xu Feng was her husband? In the past, Feng Yuzhi had never even looked him in the eye. Xu Feng had long since been utterly disappointed in this relationship and had no intention of defending it.

The moment an opportunity arose, he would be the first to leave the Feng family.

“You still know that Young Master Xu is your husband? Anyone who didn’t know better might think you were Zuo Jincheng’s woman. Even I, an outsider, can no longer stand watching this. Yet you still have the nerve to rant here.”

With just a few words, Honglian left Feng Yuzhi speechless.

But Feng Yuzhi also understood that she could not relinquish this matter under any circumstances. For Zuo Jincheng, this was an unparalleled opportunity.

Perhaps Swordwind Mountain had other means of helping Zuo Jincheng enter officialdom, but with such an achievement in hand, he would find his path through the imperial court far smoother.

Old Master Feng no longer had the face to remain there. He had already left when Honglian first appeared and challenged him, leaving behind only a single remark for Xu Feng to handle the matter as he saw fit.

Everyone in the Feng family believed they could manipulate Xu Feng with ease. They had no idea that he was no longer the man he had once been.

Now, even if he left the Xu family, he could still live well. At most, he would need to act cautiously while making his way in the outside world. For one brief moment, he truly wanted to abandon this place that had brought him so much sorrow, but in the end he suppressed the impulse.

“Feng Yuzhi, what else do you have to say?”

Faced with Honglian’s provocation, Feng Yuzhi was furious.

She had no idea of Honglian’s true identity and assumed that her position in Red Maple Mountain was insignificant. Since matters had reached this point, there was no longer any need to show her respect.

“I truly have nothing to say. However, there is no need for Miss Honglian to decide this matter on our behalf. Xu Feng and I will discuss our affairs privately, behind closed doors.”

In other words, she knew perfectly well that she had acted wrongly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Yuzhi ignored Honglian and ordered a group of household servants to surround Xu Feng.

“Keep an eye on him. Without my permission, do not let him leave the residence.”

Feng Yuzhi was clearly planning to go out in search of Zuo Jincheng. Xu Feng did not stop her.

At this point, there was no need.

His face had remained as gloomy as still water from beginning to end. The Feng family had made its choice. Now it was time for him to set foot upon the right path as well.

He had already shown the Feng family every courtesy it was owed. Since they insisted on going this far, the恩情 between both sides would end here.

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He had no intention of continuing to clean up the mess left behind by the former Xu Feng.

“Young Master Xu, it is time to make your choice. The Feng family is not a place where you can remain forever.”

Honglian wore the expression of someone thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

She was eager to see what choice Xu Feng would make now that matters had reached this point.

“Is there really any choice left to make? In their eyes, I am worth less than even an outsider. You were right—the Feng family is indeed not a place where one should remain.”

A golden-scaled creature could never be confined to a pond; once it encountered wind and clouds, it would transform into a dragon. Xu Feng was precisely such a man.

With the Human Sovereign Banner in his possession, where in this vast world could he not go? Why remain here merely to endure humiliation?

Xu Feng turned around, carrying several chests, intending to leave. But the dogs Feng Yuzhi had left behind lunged at him at that very moment.

“Brother-in-law, we are not trying to make things difficult for you. We only hope you understand one thing: this is the Feng residence. Since the Young Miss has forbidden you to leave, there is nothing we can do. So you should stay here quietly. You cannot take those things with you, either.”

“Exactly. The Young Miss has never let you go hungry or thirsty while you stayed here. Why quarrel with her? Just admit your mistake and be done with it!”

Though the servants called him brother-in-law, there was not the slightest trace of respect in their eyes. Clearly, they regarded Xu Feng as nothing more than a joke.

That had always been his standing in the Feng family. Even a few servants dared to trample him beneath their feet.

“You are nothing more than household servants, yet you dare ridicule me? I would very much like to see who can stop me if I choose to leave today!”

Xu Feng no longer had anything to fear. He could now support himself with the silver he possessed, and leaving the Feng family was entirely within his power.

The servants tried to stop him, but how could they possibly be his match? He did not even need to draw his sword. Two kicks sent them sprawling helplessly on the ground.

Honglian secretly cheered from the sidelines. These people simply did not know Xu Feng’s true identity.

If they knew that Xu Feng was the infamous Ghost-Faced Man of Gusu City, they would probably have been frightened into wetting themselves on the spot.

In the end, he could not bring himself to kill them. He merely drove them back, took away the belongings that belonged to him, and left them alive.

It was the last shred of dignity Xu Feng was willing to leave the Feng family.