Chapter 2658 - 2657: Conflict
Although Little Fei is the ancestor of insects and can manipulate almost all of them, the abilities of the subordinate insects are far less powerful than Little Fei’s. Finding traces of the Bug Beast takes time—sometimes a day, or several days in longer cases.
So Ling Feng planned to take a stroll inside the Royal City first, especially since he hadn’t returned here for quite a while.
Ling Feng walked alone through the bustling market of the Royal City, a core city of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Consequently, it always presented a prosperous scene, and the security was remarkably good, with hardly any crime occurring.
"How could you behave like this? Really, is there anyone like you?" A voice, as clear as a silver bell, reached Ling Feng’s ears, carrying a hint of indignation and helplessness.
Ling Feng turned his head and saw a young woman wearing an apron, holding a tray, standing by a table, glaring at the customers with almond-shaped eyes.
The leader was a young man dressed in a vest, with a sharp face like a monkey. He picked at the meat stuck between his teeth with his finger, then burped unpleasantly before smugly addressing the girl, "Having the honor of me dining here is giving you face, it’s a recognition of your boss’s culinary skills. Don’t get cheeky with me!"
"Exactly, exactly. Our boss dining here is your good fortune. What sort of attitude is that? Do you seriously expect payment? Is our boss someone who cares about such an insignificant amount?" echoed the chubby lackey beside the vest-wearing young man, clutching his stomach.
"You fat fool, if you can’t say anything worthwhile, then shut up. Nobody’s mistaken you for a mute," the monkey-faced young man kicked the fat man’s backside.
The fat man was kicked, rubbing his backside in grievance, not knowing how his words had been wrong, but dared not echo again.
Aside from these two vulgar individuals, there was a middle-aged man sitting at the table, resting with his eyes closed, a horrific scar across his forehead. He seemed uninterested in eating or involving himself in such meaningless squabbles.
Ling Feng looked at this middle-aged man, his brow furrowing slightly.
The young girl bit her lip lightly, tears seeming almost about to flow from her eyes. Clearly, she had never encountered such a situation of demanding a meal for free, naturally not knowing how to handle it.
"Quickly go tell your boss to bring us another roasted duck and a roast chicken, we still aren’t full yet!" the monkey-faced man said casually.
"Yes, yes, go quickly, I haven’t even started yet." The fat man chuckled twice, rubbing his belly.
"You..." the young girl, overwhelmed with anger, was about to throw the tray in her hand at the heads of these two rascals.
A strong hand stopped the tray, the young girl turned her head: "Dad, look at these rascals, they’ve eaten and won’t pay, yet they want more roast chicken and duck."
The middle-aged man wearing the same apron was the young girl’s father. He gave a steady smile, then calmly said, "Little Chen, please go attend to other guests, inquire what they would like to eat, let your father handle this."
Little Chen looked at her father with worry, wanting to say more, but seeing her father’s smile gave her an inexplicable sense of comfort, so she took the tray and left.
The middle-aged shop owner showed a professional smile, "Honored sirs, serving more roast duck and chicken is doable, even if it’s three or four, but this humble shop can’t afford the credit of distinguished guests such as yourselves,"
"I’m the manager here, Wang Tian. Considering our hardships, I hope you’ll extend your generosity." Wang Tian clasped his hands respectfully.
The monkey-faced man was about to speak when a cough interrupted him.
It was the scar-faced man opening his eyes, and the monkey-faced man, fearful, glanced at him and dared not speak first.
The scar-faced man said understandingly, "We’re not the sort to dine-and-dash... we’ll definitely pay later..."
Upon hearing this leader-like figure say they would pay, Wang Tian beamed with joy, ready to prepare roast duck and chicken for them, but the scar-faced man’s next words plunged him into an icy pit.
"However, your daughter must accompany us for drinks. If we’re pleased, your meals will be paid for, including a reward."
Wang Tian froze, "Honored sir, please don’t joke."
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
The scar-faced man’s expression turned cold, "Do I look like I’m joking to you?"
"Then I won’t charge you for the meal, please leave, I don’t want to do business with you..."
The scar-faced man signaled with his eyes, and the monkey-faced immediately understood, stood up, kicked the chair to the ground, and walked over in a few strides to grab Wang Tian’s collar, delivering a punch to his face.
Wang Tian, just a regular person who could only cook a few dishes, immediately had blood seeping from the corner of his mouth from the punch, falling to the ground.
"Our boss already gave you face, yet you disagree, even trying to drive us out. Do you conduct business this way?" the monkey-faced man cursed while kicking Wang Tian’s abdomen.
Witnessing such a brutal scene, the fat man surprisingly wore an excited expression, then he stepped closer to Wang Tian, delivering several punches to his chest, muttering:
"What makes you so inconsiderate? Why provoke our Three-row gang? I really don’t want to beat you, but you need a lesson..."
The fat man spoke of unwillingness, yet his punches turned out fiercer than the monkey-faced’s.
Watching the scene unfold, none of the surrounding diners wanted to interfere, those with more courage continued eating at the table, whereas those less courageous dropped money and hurried out, not one willing to help, even though they had just greeted Wang Tian and chatted casually.
Ling Feng didn’t rush to intervene either; as a Viscount, his stroll was with the intent of inspecting conditions and assessing the state of order here; he wanted to see when the Guard Army would arrive and how they would handle a street assault.
But before the Guard Army could arrive, Wang Tian’s daughter, Little Chen, came running over.
"Dad!" Little Chen exclaimed, dropping the tray then rushing to push away the monkey-faced man’s foot and the fat man’s hand, firmly embracing the severely injured and dying Wang Tian.
The monkey-faced and the fat man saw their leader’s object of desire come out, naturally not daring to hit her, merely mocking as she cried.
In a short while of holding her father, Little Chen was already soaked in blood, sobbing while covering his wounds, "Dad, hang in there, I’ll take you to the doctor right away, keep your eyes open!"
But no matter how Little Chen cried out, Wang Tian’s eyes couldn’t help but close.
Little Chen’s emotions transitioned from grief to despair, then to intense rage, as she let go of Wang Tian, shrieking at the monkey-faced and fat man, "You scum, why did you hurt my dad!"
But how could an ordinary woman be a match for the rascals, the monkey-faced grabbed her wrist, preventing her from hitting him, then sneered, "Your father has himself to blame!"
Little Chen wept, biting into the monkey-faced’s arm, a stream of blood immediately dripping from his wrist; pain coursed through him, disregarding the woman’s status, raising his hand intending to slap her.
"Bang—" A flash swept by, and the monkey-faced’s body soared backward, crashing into a pillar, unconscious.
Ling Feng stood before Little Chen, stretched lazily and said indifferently, "Still going to continue the fight?"