Chapter 306 - 297: Tributor, Magic Sacrifice

Chapter 306: Chapter 297: Tributor, Magic Sacrifice

"Fu Lingjun. A fine name!"

Mu Feng offered some casual praise, then looked at Fu Juemin with a faint smile. "Chen You tells me that you, Mr. Fu, have cultivated extraordinary Martial Arts at a young age."

"And you wish to join our Mu Family as a Martial Tributor, and even practice the Organ Installation and Spirit Awakening Method?"

Fu Juemin replied, "Yes."

"That’s it, then."

Mu Feng said slowly, "The Mu Family couldn’t be happier to have a talent like you, Mr. Fu, willingly offer to join us."

"However..."

Mu Feng’s tone shifted, though he spoke gently. "Mr. Fu, you must understand that nothing in this world can be accomplished without rules."

"Since you wish to become a Tributor for the Mu Family, a simple test is required before you join."

"That’s reasonable."

Fu Juemin nodded.

"I’m glad you understand, Mr. Fu."

Seeing Fu Juemin nod, Mu Feng gave a slight smile. His gaze swept lightly behind him to the left as he called out, "Tributor Tong."

At these words, Chen You, who stood to the side, raised his head.

At the same time, a figure emerged slowly from behind a screen beside the Taishi Chair.

He was a wiry man in his forties, with high cheekbones and a dark, sallow complexion.

He wasn’t tall and his back was slightly hunched. He wore a simple gray tunic, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a pair of lean forearms with veins bulging... Standing there, he looked like an eagle with folded wings.

The man walked to the front of the hall, his eyes fixed on Mu Feng, ignoring Fu Juemin entirely.

"This is one of the Mu Family’s current Martial Tributors, Tributor Tong Ling."

Mu Feng gave Fu Juemin a smiling, brief introduction before issuing his command. "Tributor Tong, I’ll trouble you to test Mr. Fu’s strength. Remember, just a light touch. Don’t injure him."

"Yes."

The wiry man clasped his fist in acknowledgement, his gaze shifting to Fu Juemin.

The instant he turned, he lunged like a vulture striking its prey.

In the vast hall, a piercing shriek tore through the air. Mu Feng, seated in his Taishi Chair, casually picked up the teacup beside him.

"BOOM!"

As he lifted the lid from his cup, an invisible shockwave erupted in the center of the hall. The resulting gale scraped against the walls, making the landscape paintings and calligraphy scrolls tremble and rustle.

Mu Feng sipped his tea, utterly unperturbed, occasionally lifting an eyelid to glance at the commotion below.

Down below, the wiry Tributor Tong’s hands had become a blur of afterimages. His fingertips stirred a fierce wind, sharp as any blade, weaving a great net that sought to envelop the vital points all over Fu Juemin’s body.

He practiced a hand-to-hand technique, the Eagle Claw Skill. After decades of immersion, he had long since reached the peak of mastery.

Yet, facing this terrifying assault, Fu Juemin simply used one hand to casually parry the blows.

Fu Juemin’s feet remained planted. Every one of his movements was clear and distinct to any observer. Beneath his deceptively simple blocks was a sense of flawless, impenetrable perfection.

Seeing his fierce assault fail, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in the wiry man’s eyes.

He abruptly withdrew his storm-like assault and retreated a short distance. And then—

His two arms, whose knuckles were already abnormally thick, began to swell grotesquely.

"CRACK... CRACK... CRACK..."

Accompanied by the chilling sound of cracking bones, wisps of black energy rose from the wiry man’s body. His eyes turned red, and across his bronze skin, strange, dark lines began to crawl out from beneath his robes...

The most dramatic change was to his arms, which had transformed into something resembling the talons of a half-human, half-demon bird.

A savage, violent aura flooded the hall. Chen You, watching from the sidelines, had a burning light in his eyes and an inexplicable look of anticipation on his face. In his Taishi Chair, Mu Feng’s eyelids lifted slightly...

The next second, the impossibly imposing, wiry man gave a cruel smile and lunged—

"BOOM!"

With a muffled boom, a figure was sent flying backward, crashing through tables, chairs, and screens before slamming heavily into a wall, sending up a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, the light in Chen You’s eyes—which had been fixed on the fight—dimmed, and he lowered his head, his face devoid of expression.

In the seat of honor, Mu Feng’s hand, which was raising his teacup, froze in place.

He stared at the center of the hall, at Fu Juemin, who hadn’t moved an inch and was now looking calmly right at him. An expression of utter disbelief crept onto Mu Feng’s face.

"Is that sufficient?"

Fu Juemin calmly asked, lightly dusting the hem of his long robe.

"Again!"

Before he had even finished speaking, a figure shrieked and shot out from the wreckage. With crimson eyes, he charged to kill again, the black and malevolent energy around him surging to an even greater height.

"Enough!"

A sharp voice cut through the air.

The wiry man, already mid-leap, heard the command and forced himself to a halt, retreating to the side with a look of unwillingness in his eyes.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"

Mu Feng rose from his Taishi Chair, his smile far more radiant than before.

"Chen You wasn’t lying. Mr. Fu, you truly are a young hero! Your Martial Arts are simply extraordinary."

As he spoke, Mu Feng descended from the dais and took Fu Juemin’s arm with great warmth, simultaneously calling for a servant.

"Someone, quickly! Escort Mr. Fu out."

He then turned back to Fu Juemin, explaining with a smile, "The test is over. Please, Mr. Fu, go and rest for a while."

"I need to take you to meet one more person, and then the matter of your position as Tributor will be settled."

"Very well."

Fu Juemin nodded readily and followed the servant toward the side of the hall.

Mu Feng watched Fu Juemin leave with a wide smile. Once the man’s figure had completely vanished from the hall, the smile slowly faded from his face, and his expression grew placid and cold.

"It shouldn’t be Heart Intent."

The wiry man, his appearance now back to normal, stepped forward. "His style of Martial Arts is unusual, and his Vitality is shockingly immense... I would need to undergo a full Spirit Awakening to be able to suppress him," he said in a low, cold voice.

"So you’re saying if he were to achieve ’Entering the Dao,’ you still wouldn’t be his match?"

Mu Feng said coolly.

The wiry man faltered, unable to find the words to argue.

"Once one ’Enters the Dao,’ their progress on the Martial Dao comes to a complete halt."

Mu Feng said nonchalantly, "Since it’s not Heart Intent, there’s even less to regret. The Mu Family can’t afford to keep someone at the Heart Intent Realm anyway..."

"Have the men quickly bring the other blood offerings. Prepare for the Magic Sacrifice!"

"Yes, sir."

The wiry man had just acknowledged the order when Chen You suddenly fell to his knees with a THUD.

"Chen You begs you, My Lord, to allow this humble one to spectate the Magic Sacrifice!"

With his forehead pressed to the floor, Chen You spoke through gritted teeth. "On the road to the capital, that man tortured and humiliated me in every way imaginable!"

"I want to watch with my own eyes as the Raven Lord swallows him whole and skins him alive!"

"I beg you, My Lord, grant me this!!"

With that, he began to kowtow again, his head hitting the floor with heavy THUDS.

Mu Feng looked down at Chen You kowtowing at his feet, considered for a moment, then nodded.

"You have rendered a service in this matter. Very well, I will grant you special permission to observe the Magic Sacrifice."

"Thank you, My Lord!"

Hearing Mu Feng’s consent, Chen You looked up, his face filled with delighted surprise.

As he imagined the scene he was about to witness, his handsome face twisted into a mask of cruel ecstasy—the look of a man whose deepest desire for revenge was about to be fulfilled.

...

The servant led Fu Juemin through a series of twists and turns to a garden.

This appeared to be the rear garden of the Mu Mansion. It was filled with elegant, man-made scenery, such as rockeries and pools.

But perhaps due to neglect, all the plants and trees in the garden were withered and dead, and the pond was nothing but a pool of stagnant, foul-smelling water.

The sky was gray and overcast, casting a gloomy pall over the area. Even the fine food and wine laid out on a stone table in the center of the garden looked more like a sacrificial offering.

"Please wait here, sir. The master will be along shortly."

The servant said respectfully, "You may sit and help yourself to the food and drink. You may also walk around, but please don’t wander too far. Otherwise, when the masters arrive, they won’t be able to find you..."

"Very well."

Fu Juemin nodded, and the servant respectfully departed.

Fu Juemin glanced a second time toward a certain corner of the rear garden, then calmly sat down at the stone table. He picked up an old-fashioned silver wine jug from the table and slowly poured himself a cup, his expression serene.

’He...’

’...was actually a little hungry.’

.....