"Ma Incense Master, I recall that I’m supposed to get a share of this Spirit Beast Meat, right?"
On the surface, it seemed Zou Feng could no longer use the fact that his subordinate had been beaten as an issue and was instead looking for a different angle of attack.
In response, Ma Pingchuan countered his move, pretending to reprimand his subordinates for their incompetence in overlooking this matter.
He then stomped over, kicked one of his subordinates a few times, and took a small piece of Spirit Beast Meat that was roasting over the bonfire.
Finally, he walked back to Zou Feng and handed him the small piece of Spirit Beast Meat.
"My apologies, my sincerest apologies. It’s all my fault for not managing these little bastards properly. They can’t even handle a simple thing like this!"
"Here, take this meat and enjoy it at your leisure when you get back."
Zou Feng squinted at the piece of Spirit Beast Meat, not even enough for two bites, and said with a humorless smile, "Ma Incense Master, are you trying to get rid of a beggar?"
Ma Pingchuan’s smile didn’t waver. "Ah, my young friend, you may not know this, but the gang’s quota for Spirit Beast Meat is distributed per head. And on my side, I have nearly twenty mouths to feed..."
’Worthy of the Black Flood Dragon Gang’s infamous "Smiling Scoundrel".’
’He’s being a complete scoundrel, yet it seems he hasn’t actually broken any gang rules. At most, it’s just a minor slip-up in his duties...’
’So... he’s just trying to provoke me into making a move?’
Zou Feng looked at Ma Pingchuan’s smug face, which all but screamed "Go on and hit me," and knew exactly what the man was planning.
’As much as I’d love to indulge this bastard, why should I risk breaking the gang’s rules to deal with a man who’s already dead?’
’Once his name was on the List of Gods, Ma Pingchuan’s sudden death was only a matter of time.’
’Although, right now, the one bearing the burden for him is his backer, Master Qian.’
’But once I’ve taken care of his backer, dealing with this guy will be a piece of cake.’
Besides, Zou Feng had already come up with a counter-plan before he arrived.
Torture isn’t just physical.
In many cases, psychological torment can be far more agonizing than physical pain, and it doesn’t break any gang rules...
"Excellent, excellent! Ma Incense Master, you’re truly something else!" Zou Feng said with a smile, clapping for Ma Pingchuan.
He then took the Spirit Beast Meat and ate it in two bites right on the spot.
Ma Pingchuan threw his head back and laughed. "You flatter me, you flatter me!"
Inwardly, however, he cursed Zou Feng for being such a damn coward. ’How can he still hold back and not make a move?’
After finishing the Spirit Beast Meat, Zou Feng clasped his hands behind his back, looked around, and said, "I must say, Ma Incense Master, the feng shui of this place is quite good..."
"If you like it, young friend, you’re welcome to visit often in the future!" Ma Pingchuan replied casually.
"Really?" Zou Feng’s eyes lit up. "In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse!"
With that, he turned to Zhao Tianhu and said, "Brother Hu, this place is perfect for my cultivation. Go get my proper equipment."
Zhao Tianhu was a bit confused at first, but he quickly understood.
"You got it!" he replied, immediately running back the way they came.
Liu Chun and Xiong Datian, however, still hadn’t figured out what was going on. They stood frozen in place, looking at each other in confusion.
Of course, Ma Pingchuan and his men were even more baffled.
Before long, Zhao Tianhu returned, carrying a large basket on his back.
The basket was filled with various auxiliary tools Zou Feng needed for his Cultivation.
Seeing this, Zou Feng turned to Ma Pingchuan again. "Ma Incense Master, I’d like to borrow this auspicious place of yours to cultivate. You don’t mind, do you?"
"Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you. You all just carry on with your party. Don’t mind me, I’ll just be practicing over here on my own."
Ma Pingchuan still had no idea what Zou Feng was plotting.
’Surely he doesn’t think that showing off a few Martial Arts from his cultivation will scare us, does he?’
’If that’s really his plan, it’s just too stupid.’
’First of all, I’m also at the Entering Grade. There’s no way I’d be scared by the clumsy skills of some kid who just reached this level.’
’Even my subordinates who haven’t reached the Entering Grade—which one of them isn’t a hardened killer who has tasted blood?’
’You have to understand, before they were stationed here at the warehouse with me, these men had fought in plenty of gang wars.’
’They’ve even battled Demon Beasts!’
’So, I was probably overestimating this inexperienced former Household Slave...’
"It’s no problem. If you want to cultivate here, young friend, feel free."
"And if you want to come back in the future, you’re welcome anytime!" Ma Pingchuan said magnanimously.
But Ma Pingchuan clearly didn’t realize that he would come to regret those words bitterly.
Zou Feng thanked Ma Pingchuan again, then began his training right where he stood.
First up was the Tribulation-Indestructible Body.
Zou Feng first took a pill, then stripped off his shirt and began to cultivate.
Zhao Tianhu, meanwhile, pulled a specially made Iron Whip from the basket and began lashing Zou Feng with it.
It was a scene that certainly looked painful.
But Ma Pingchuan and his men treated it as entertainment for their drinking, shouting and applauding from time to time.
After the whipping, the next item was a "tenderizing" by the Wolf Fang Club.
"THWACK—THWACK—"
Just from the sound, you could tell Zhao Tianhu was using every ounce of his strength, striking with brutal force.
Anyone with a bit of cooking knowledge would know that such a frantic beating would guarantee the meat becomes crisp, tender, and springy—not only delicious but fun to handle.
Yet even though Zhao Tianhu was sweating from exhaustion, Zou Feng was still not satisfied. "Haven’t you eaten?" he barked.
Zhao Tianhu gritted his teeth, let out a roar, and put his strength into it once more.
With a loud CRACK, the Wolf Fang Club shattered.
Zhao Tianhu staggered and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
The cheers that had been ringing out intermittently gradually died down.
The expressions on Ma Pingchuan’s group had long since become extremely uncomfortable.
In truth, Zou Feng using torture to cultivate wasn’t completely unacceptable; after all, it wasn’t like they’d never seen similar things before.
The problem was that Zou Feng remained expressionless the entire time, without even frowning once.
He just silently endured it all, while staring intently at them...
’That level of endurance, that willpower—that was the truly terrifying part.’
’With a will as hard as rock, as long as he doesn’t die prematurely, what’s to stop him from achieving great things in the future?’
’But now, they had well and truly offended such a ruthless man...’
’As gang members, they weren’t afraid of offending people; they were afraid of offending people they couldn’t afford to cross.’
By now, the ever-present smile on Ma Pingchuan’s face looked quite strained.
However, tonight’s nightmare was just the appetizer.
Next, Zou Feng was going to practice the Karmic Fire Red Lotus Palm.
After swallowing a Burning Vein Pill, an unnatural flush appeared on his face, as if he had a fever.
Ma Pingchuan knew the effects of the Burning Vein Pill. That stuff was meant to stimulate one’s last reserves of strength, to be used only when fighting an opponent to the death.
Its side effects would last for at least three days, during which one would feel completely drained.
The next moment, Zhao Tianhu took out the Small Iron Furnace, stuffed various poisonous Spirit Plants into it, lit it, and immediately jumped far away.
Zou Feng, however, first grinned at Ma Pingchuan, then settled into a Horse Stance. While Cultivating, he placed his hands over the poisonous fire to roast them.
Before long, an indescribable but extremely unsettling aroma of cooking flesh began to fill the air.
"BLEGH—"
One of Ma Pingchuan’s men couldn’t take it anymore and threw up all the Spirit Beast Meat he had just eaten.
Even those who didn’t vomit couldn’t bear it any longer.
With Zou Feng roasting his own hands while maintaining a cold smile and staring at them, who could possibly remain seated?
’A madman! You can’t just call this Zou Feng ruthless anymore—he’s a complete and utter madman!’