Xiao Feng stepped outside, Holding the staff tightly in his hands. Bao Chen's fist immediately came flying at his face so fast he barely saw it coming.
But somehow, his body moved on its own.
He dodged to the side, the fist missing his nose by a hair's width. The surprise on Bao Chen's face almost made Xiao Feng laugh.
Is this the muscle memory of getting beaten up? Thanks for that one small favor, old Xiao Feng.
"What the hell?" Bao Chen's eyes widened. He wasn't used to missing. "You..."
A small crowd was already forming. Servants, laborers, and even a few junior disciples stood at a safe distance, eyes wide with anticipation. Nothing like a good beating to break up the monotony of sect life.
Bao Chen's face turned an ugly shade of red. "Is it true what I heard? You dared to insult me and Mei Lin?"
Xiao Feng twirled the staff in his hands, surprised at how natural it felt. "You mean about your tiny dick and that two-faced snitch? Yeah, that's true." He grinned, adding, "I forgot to mention your breath smells like a donkey's ass and your face looks like one too."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone choked on their own spit.
"Did he just—"
"He's really lost it this time."
"I can't watch this..."
Bao Chen stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Nobody, nobody, had ever spoken to him like that. Especially not the sect's punching bag.
"You... you..." he sputtered.
"Me... me..." Xiao Feng mocked enjoying himself. "Need some help finding words with more than one syllable?"
The crowd's murmurs grew louder. A few people actually snickered.
Bao Chen turned to one of his cronies, a lanky guy with a face full of pimples. "Li Ge, teach this trash a lesson. I'll take responsibility if Elder Liu asks questions."
Li Ge stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "With pleasure."
He lunged at Xiao Feng, aiming a kick at his stomach. Xiao Feng sidestepped again, swinging the staff in a wide arc. It connected with Li Ge's ankle with a satisfying thwack.
Li Ge howled in pain, hopping on one foot. "You little..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Feng scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it straight into Li Ge's eyes.
"Argh! I can't see!" Li Ge stumbled around blindly, his arms flailing.
This staff...it feels like part of me, Xiao Feng thought, amazed at how easily he wielded it. The runes glowed faintly, as energy flowed from his body into the metal.
I really hit it big coming into this world. First the power and now this cool staff.
"Who's next?" Xiao Feng taunted, his confidence growing by the second.
Du Xiu, a stocky young man with a permanently angry expression, charged forward without waiting for Bao Chen's order. "You think you're tough now, cripple? I'll break your legs!"
He aimed a punch at Xiao Feng's chest. This time, instead of dodging, Xiao Feng met the attack head-on. He struck Du Xiu's wrist with the staff, crack! and followed with a kick to the stomach that sent him flying back into the crowd.
Du Xiu landed hard, clutching his broken wrist. "My hand! He broke my hand!"
The crowd was dead silent now. Shock painted every face.
Xiao Feng pointed his staff at Bao Chen. "Your turn, donkey-face."
Before Bao Chen could move, the third crony stepped between them. Gao Qiu, the smartest of the bunch, held up his hands placatingly.
"Xiao Feng, have you forgotten who Bao Chen is? His uncle is Manager Chen of the West Wing. His cousin is Liu Chen, an Outer Court Disciple. Do you really want to make enemies of them?"
Xiao Feng shrugged. "Don't care. Their blood isn't golden, is it?"
"You..." Gao Qiu's face paled. "You're insane."
"No," Xiao Feng said calmly. "I'm just tired of being a doormat. Now, all three of you are going to clean the entire training grounds. Every inch."
"What?" Li Ge had managed to clear his eyes enough to stare in disbelief.
"You heard me. Consider it payment for years of 'fun' at my expense." Xiao Feng's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Or we can continue this little dance, and I'll break more than just a hand."
The energy inside him surged, making the air around him shimmer slightly. Several onlookers took a step back.
Bao Chen's face was a mask of hatred, but there was something new in his eyes, uncertainty. He didn't know what had changed, but this wasn't the same cowering Xiao Feng from this morning.
"Fine," he spat. "We'll clean your stupid grounds. But when my cousin returns from his mission soon, you're dead meat. And that servant girl you like? Yang Ye? I'll make sure she suffers too."
Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "I don't even know who that is. The old me had terrible taste anyway."
Bao Chen stormed off, his wounded cronies limping after him.
As they left, the whispers started again.
"Did you see that?"
"How did cripple Feng do that?"
"Maybe he's not a cripple anymore?"
"I heard Manager Chen once crushed a laborer's entire family for spilling tea on his robe..."
"Feng is so dead when Liu Chen returns..."
Xiao Feng ignored them all, turning to head back to his shack. But he couldn't help noticing how people moved out of his way, not with the usual disgust, but with something that looked like... respect?
Well, well, he thought, a small smile playing on his lips. Looks like things are finally looking up for Bryan—I mean, Xiao Feng.
Behind him, a servant girl with simple clothes and bright eyes watched him go, her expression unreadable.