Chapter 23: The Terrifying Shadow

Extra special thanks to Joseph G, he has been extremely supportive of this series and is clearly an addict. He has been a complete darling from the start. Thank you xoxo

This is the first of two chapters which have been sponsored today. I will not be staying up extremely late like yesterday as I have work, so all donations from here on out will go to sponsored chapters during the week.

TL Note: To give a dog a bad name and hang it is an idiom to give someone a reputation they will then be unable to remove. I could not think of another way to phrase it.

I hope you all enjoy!! The next release will be in around 45 minutes, I just need to edit and proofread it now.

Hou Qing was using his other hand to cover the bloody wound where his arm used to be. Blood was pouring endlessly out of the wound and through his fingers to form a puddle on the floor. He looked absolutely terrified and couldn’t come to grips with how he had lost his arm. The scene was so shocking that no one could believe what they had just seen.

“You, it must have been luck! If you didn’t have such good luck then….” Hou Qing said while looking at Lin Feng in a sinister way. At that moment he still believed that Lin Feng hadn’t beaten him and that Lin Feng’s strength was hugely inferior to his. Everything that happened when he randomly swung his sword must have been luck, how could he even know where Hou Qing was? Lin Feng had just been lucky and when he was slashing the air managed to accidently strike the arm. Hou Qing wasn’t the only one to think that way, many ordinary disciples within the crowd had the same train of though. They really couldn’t believe that Lin Feng had seen Hou Qing moving at such high speeds and simple used a single strike to accurately slice off his arm.

“I do indeed have great luck.” Lin Feng looked surprised for a second then smiled and replied. He had really been lucky indeed to have this opportunity to knock Hou Qing down a notch.

“Next time, I will not go easy on you and I will give you no chance to retaliate” said Hou Qing walking unsteadily. He moved away from Lin Feng and moved through the crowd of disciples. His arm had been cut cleanly off and this was not an injury he could leave without medical assistance. His wound required medical assistance as quickly as possible or he would lose his life along with his arm. He had already lost so much blood that it was hard for him to stand.

“I hope that you will not be as foolish as to challenge me to a ‘next time’.” said Lin Feng feeling powerless and shaking his head. Hou Qing still didn’t accept the fact that he had lost and attributed Lin Feng’s victory to luck, with that kind of temperament then he would come back for revenge and end up losing his other arm.

“You dared to injure a disciple in charge of dealing out justice when the Sects rules are not respected. The Sect doesn’t mean anything to you, it’s clear in your eyes that you see us as something you can disrespect.” Mo Xie was blaming Lin Feng once again, accusing him of whatever he wished to suit his needs at the time.

While smiling, Lin Feng said to Mo Xie: “It’s easy to give a dog a bad name and then hang him. If I understand what you mean properly, you’re saying that I should have let him cut my arm and then get expelled from the Sect and on top of that I should still have the Sect in my heart. Don’t you think that your analysis in itself, is ridiculous and laughable, Elder?”

Lin Feng was provoking Elder Mo, They all wanted to cut off his arm then expel him from the Sect and on top on that they wanted him to care about giving the sect the respect it deserves. Lin Feng admired Mo Xie for being able to say such stupid things with a straight face.

“Patriarch, am I allowed to add something to what has been said already?” asked Lin Feng completely disregarding Mo Xie yet again. If there was someone who had the power to make decisions in this situation, it was definitely Nan Gong Ling.

Nan Gong Ling had an expression on his face which showed that he couldn’t help but be interested in this young disciple. He was actually was very interested in Lin Feng and his actions. Lin Feng was neither overbearing nor subservient, neither arrogant nor humble. Lin Feng was completely calm and composed even though in such a seemingly disastrous position. That was exactly the temperament required to be a great Cultivator and to improve with leaps and bounds on the path of Cultivation. 

”You may speak.” Nan Gong Ling said nodding his head.

“Patriarch, I was told to come over as an elder wanted to meet with me personally. I upon arrival immediately heard the Elder accuse me of various things, namely of being guilty of bringing shame upon the sects name and making the sect lose face. He called me the disgrace of the Sect and a piece of trash. When I try to provide an explanation to defend myself, he immediately calls me names and says I am contradicting him. Because I chose to defend my innocence he wants my arm to get cut off. I would like to ask. Isn’t it Elder Mo, who made his decision based on his own personal opinion, guilty of bringing shame to the sect and causing it to lose face? As an Elder in charge of making sure that the rules are respected, isn’t he supposed to represent the Sect in dealing out justice, rather than upholding his own biased injustice?”

Lin Feng’s sharp and precise words had shocked the entire crowd who now really believed he had gone insane.

“Audacious.” a strong Qi had surrounded Lin Feng where he stood. Mo Xie hated Lin Feng so much that he wanted to kill him there on the spot before he could lose any more face to this young disciples words.

“I am not audacious. The Sect wants to abandon and expel me without finding the truth behind the accusations. Why not be audacious anyway? I would like to ask you Elder Mo, the crimes you accuse me of, who said I had committed them in the first place?” Lin Feng was smiling and completely calm, he wasn’t scared of confronting Mo Xie.

“You Trash! You injure your own family members, you humiliate your elders. Do you not dare admit it?”” Lin Qian said in a cold tone.

“So that’s how it is… I see.” said Lin Feng smiling. “It seems that the crimes Elder Mo accused me of came from her. It was my cousin who told you all of this, correct?”

“Yes, so what?” said Mo Xie whose murderous intentions were becoming stronger and stronger in the depths of his heart. Even if Lin Qian and Chu Zhan Peng were not the ones to land the killing blow, they still wished for his death.

“Hehe, since you admit it, Elder Mo, I would like to ask you a question in the presence of the Patriarch. You listened to her side of the story in order to accuse me of various crimes, but are you an Elder of the Yun Hai Sect or an Elder of the Hao Yue Sect?”

“How dare you! Daring to humiliate me, an esteemed Elder within the sect. I will cripple your cultivation now. Clear out the way. There is no more room for discussion.” Mo Xie had come to the end of his patience. Allowing Lin Feng to talk that way about him had caused his brilliance and reputation as an Elder to be completely ruined.

“Everybody here knows what is right and what is wrong. It’s just that I am not an Elite disciple within the sect, so I cannot defend myself. Only the strong were respected. If you want to cripple my cultivation, just do it, there is no need make up groundless fabricated charges against me. ” while Lin Feng said that, he didn’t stop looking at Nan Gong Ling.

If Nan Gong Ling prevented Mo Xie from attacking, Lin Feng would still be a Yun Hai Sect disciple in his heart even if he was expelled. However if Nan Gong Ling let him attack then Lin Feng would quickly tell them what had happened at the Precipice of Zhangu. Then during the confusion, Lin Feng would escape, as it could get dangerous for him and he wouldn’t want to be a Yun Hai Sect disciple anymore anyway. If the Sect didn’t want Lin Feng, why would he need the Sect? Lin Feng didn’t have the least bit of servility in the depths of his heart and bones. He would never be any mans servant as long as he lived.

Nan Gong Ling was carefully considering everything that had happened. 
Mo Xie was moving closer and preparing to swiftly attack Lin Feng.

Nan Gong Ling was paying attention to Lin Feng’s facial expression. He was staring at Lin Fen’s completely calm eyes with intrigue.

“His will and determination are extremely strong. He remains absolutely calm when facing danger. Besides, his natural abilities are good. He could join the Elite disciples in a few years. He could become a very important person within the sect and one day we may require talent such as his.”

“Mo Xie is an esteemed Elder. His achievements on the path of Cultivation are not insignificant. His natural talent and hard work also plays an important role in his development. He could climb up the hierarchy in the future. Even though what is happening today is Mo Xie’s fault, he is an Elder after all and besides, he is Mo Cang Lan’s son.”

Nan Gong Ling was considering everything that had occurred and calculating his response at extremely quick speeds. He was the Patriarch of the Sect. Whatever problem there is, he must always distinguish things clearly and understand the advantages and disadvantages of doing something. If something can be of benefit to the Sect then it has to be done, if it is unfavorable for the Sect, then it shouldn’t be done. This was the simple understanding which all patriarchs followed.

He of course knew that Mo Xie had made a mistake concerning the ongoing problems. The problem was that if he stopped Mo Xie from acting, it would be the same as making him lose face. If he allowed him to attack, he would feel a great loss for the sect in his heart. Besides, he had no choice but to take into consideration Mo Cang Lan as well and couldn’t make him lose face either. After all, Mo Cang Lan had the status of Great Elder within the Sect. He had rendered heroic services to the Sect.

As a comparison, there was Lin Feng who certainly had some potential but he truly was an insignificant figure compared to the elders.

Nan Gong Lin’s hesitations made Lin Feng laugh at himself for ever believing in the sect. He laughed at his own ignorance. Even though he had defeated Hou Qing, one of the ten best Ordinary disciples, Lin Feng was still in everyone’s eyes an Ordinary disciple, besides Mo Xie was an esteemed sect Elder. How could Nan Gong Ling make Mo Xie lose face because of Lin Feng? 
 
Lin Feng wasn’t extremely strong so he shouldn’t put himself in dangerous situations. In their minds it was Lin Feng’s own fault for not being strong enough or having enough talent to be worth protecting.

“Ignorant child.” Mo Xie said, as he was getting closer to Lin Feng. These words stabbed Lin Feng’s eardrums. His smile revealed his murderous intentions, he wanted to kill Lin Feng. He was an Ordinary disciple, nothing more. Actually daring to oppose Mo Xie would be really reckless.

“Lin Feng is dead!” shouted disciples in the crowd. But Lin Feng could only blame his own powerlessness.

“What a pity that I can’t cripple his cultivation myself.” said Lin Qian while smiling coldly. It was quite an unexpected situation for Lin Qian but the result was the same, those were Lin Feng’s last moments anyway.

A strong and powerful energy was paralyzing Lin Feng. The hair all over his body was erected, he was about to open his mouth, but at that moment the force oppressing him all over his body disappeared without leaving trace.

“Huh?” Lin Feng was stunned. That was unexpected. How could that force suddenly vanish? Besides, how could it disappear that way without leaving trace?

Mo Xie wasn’t far from Lin Feng but at that moment he stopped walking towards Lin Feng. Mo Xie’s pupils were dilated as if he had seen something unimaginable. Furthermore, a godly strength was oppressing Mo Xie’s entire body.

Many people didn’t understand why Mo Xie had stopped. Nan Gong Ling as well as Mo Cang Lan were all astonished at these turn of events.

“It’s…” Lin Feng was looking at Mo Xie’s expression and then looked at his body. Lin Feng was as shocked as everyone else and could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“I’m not mistaken…” Lin Feng was so shocked that his eyes couldn’t be more open than at that moment. On Mo Xie’s body, there was a shadow which looked like a human body. Besides, that shadow was moving even though Mo Xie was like paralyzed.

It’s a shadow. It really looked like exactly like a human’s shadow.

The scariest thing though was that Lin Feng could only see the shadow but couldn’t see to whom it belonged.

It wasn’t only Lin Feng paying attention, the Patriarch as well as everyone was abnormally shocked and looking at the shadow enveloping Mo Xie’s body.

“Come back, get lost you trash.” said a voice which filled the entire area. Only the voice could be heard. Nobody could see who had said it, but the voice felt like it contained an immense power which shook everyone to their core.

The voice which they had heard made many people start trembling in fear, many wanted to drop to their knees. That shadow which had come out of the void had scared everyone present and their bodies were begging to escape with an almost primal instinct.