A person's temper might gradually mellow with age and experience.
But a person's character—that innate, bone-deep nature—can never be truly erased.
Those familiar with Gu Qingfeng—or more precisely, those familiar with Lord Chixiao—almost all knew that his temper was not good. Not only that, it could sometimes be downright violent. If it weren't so, back then, he wouldn't have, in a fit of rage, defied the judgment of the Immortal Dao to utterly annihilate the Immortal Dynasty that ruled this world.
Yes.
He could not tolerate it.
In his youth, a close friend had died because of him. From that day on, he had sworn that if anyone suffered harm on his account, he would exact repayment tenfold, a hundredfold. It didn't matter if they were man or woman, immortal or demon, Buddha or monster.
This was his bottom line, his only bottom line.
Absolutely not to be trampled by anyone.
Not by the Heavenly King, not by the Old Man of Heaven!
No one!
As they walked, Gu Qingfeng chatted casually with Wang Dashan. He seemed no different from usual, his expression showing no particular anger, his eyes as calm and ordinary as ever.
Indeed.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't angry, let alone furious.
Such a trivial matter wasn't enough to stir his emotions. He simply felt that since Wang Dashan had taken a slap for him, he had to get it back for him. The matter was that simple. For Gu Qingfeng, it was as straightforward as eating when hungry.
This was what a bottom line meant.
Soon, the two arrived at the northeastern corner of Redleaf Valley. Gu Qingfeng looked over. The one-acre Spirit Field he had just cleared yesterday had been turned into a pile of useless dirt. The seeds he had painstakingly planted all afternoon had been dug up.
What surprised Gu Qingfeng was that not only his Spirit Field had been destroyed, but Wang Dashan's one-acre plot had also been reduced to waste. The Fire Pearl Grass, which would have been ready for harvest in a few days, had been uprooted and piled on the ground like withered weeds.
"Must have been tough for you," Gu Qingfeng patted Wang Dashan's shoulder, comforting him. "I'll get you something better later."
"Young Master, let's just go..." Wang Dashan was an honest man. Since joining Yunxia Sect, he had grown accustomed to being bullied. That's why he had chosen to plant his Spirit Field in the most remote, desolate part of Redleaf Valley. He knew he couldn't afford to provoke those outer disciples. After being bullied, he usually had no choice but to swallow his anger.
Gu Qingfeng didn't respond. He walked over, bent down, and picked up a few seeds. Just then, Wang Dashan ran over, his throat tight with urgency. "Young Master, let's hurry and leave! They're coming!"
Oh?
Gu Qingfeng looked up and saw seven or eight young men swaggering toward them. Leading them was a long-faced youth, idly playing with a folding fan, a cold sneer on his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't the dragon among men, Young Lord Chiyan? Heard you play a mean tune. How about playing a song for us, eh?"
"So it was you who ruined my Spirit Field?" Gu Qingfeng stood up, squinting slightly as he looked at the group.
"So what if it was us?" The leading long-faced youth wore an arrogant, domineering expression. "Daring to steal our Young Master Li's woman? This is just a warning. Be smart and get lost as far as you can, or we'll cripple you!"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Which Young Master Li?"
"Let me tell you, Young Master Li Sen is an outstanding inner disciple of our Yunxia Sect, and the illustrious Seventh Young Master of the Li family in Qingyang territory! A Foundation Establishment failure like you dares to steal our Young Master's woman? Looks like you're tired of living!"
Li Sen?
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment. He seemed to recall a bit. That young master who kept pestering Ouyang Ye at First-Grade Manor was probably named Li Sen.
"Alright, I see." Gu Qingfeng asked indifferently, "Who slapped Wang Dashan's face?"
"That would also be me," the long-faced youth took a step forward, chin raised, staring disdainfully at Gu Qingfeng. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Good. As long as you admit it." Gu Qingfeng unbuttoned his collar, then rolled up his sleeves. He glanced at the long-faced youth and smiled. "Come here. Let's see what I can do to you."
"Hmph! With a cripple like you—" Before he could finish, Gu Qingfeng raised his hand and slapped him. *Smack!* The long-faced youth didn't even know what happened. He only felt a numbness in his right cheek before he was already on the ground. The others seemed stunned that this cripple would suddenly attack. Recovering from their shock, they ignored their doubts and roared, charging forward.
As Gu Qingfeng turned, he backhanded a slap that sent the second man sprawling. Sidestepping, he slapped a third man to the ground. In less than a breath's time, all seven or eight young men had been knocked down by him, three slaps here, two there.
Witnessing this, Wang Dashan, standing to the side, was utterly dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to act, let alone so decisively. Looking at the seven or eight men on the ground, clutching their cheeks and howling in pain, Wang Dashan couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. After taking a slap from Gu Qingfeng, their cheeks were almost all swollen. Especially the long-faced youth—his entire face had swollen into a pig's head!
He glanced at Gu Qingfeng again. Standing in the Spirit Field, his expression remained as calm as ever, showing no trace of joy or anger. Looking at the howling figures on the ground, he seemed somewhat bored as he spoke slowly.
"Today, considering your youth, I'll gift each of you a slap to help you remember." He took out a wine flask from his storage bag, took a small sip, and continued, "And to help you understand a principle: if you hit someone, be prepared to get hit. Being young and reckless isn't wrong. Being arrogant and domineering isn't wrong either. But you must learn to bear the consequences of recklessness and the price of arrogance."
He took another sip of wine and went on, "The matter of hitting people ends here. But the Spirit Field I worked on all afternoon yesterday can't just be ruined by you. Go on. Bury the seeds back exactly how you dug them out. And replant the Fire Pearl Grass in Dashan's Spirit Field exactly how you pulled them up."
The seven or eight men on the ground, clutching their cheeks, stood up. The leading long-faced youth glared venomously at Gu Qingfeng and snarled, "You just wait! Young Master Li will—" Before he could finish, Gu Qingfeng lifted his leg and kicked him back to the ground, saying calmly, "Today, unless you fix my Spirit Field properly, no one is leaving."
One of them, frightened, tried to run. But the moment he moved, Gu Qingfeng kicked him. Another tried to unleash a martial technique, but it was useless. Before the technique could manifest, Gu Qingfeng kicked him down too.
He didn't speak, just stood there. Whoever dared move got a kick.
After a few kicks, no one dared to run anymore. They either clutched their cheeks or their stomachs, rolling on the ground in pain.
"You little brats, think you can rebel? All of you, get up! Go plant the Spirit Field!" Gu Qingfeng suddenly roared angrily. After taking a few more kicks, the seven or eight on the ground didn't dare utter a single word of refusal. Clutching their swollen cheeks, wiping their tears, they got up and started planting the Spirit Field.
"Young Master, let's just forget it..." Wang Dashan walked over, sounding worried.
"Forget it?" Gu Qingfeng sat down on the ground, taking a sip of wine. "Dashan... In the future, never use the words 'forget it' to settle any matter. If you do something, do it thoroughly. If you use 'forget it' to resolve every issue, you'll harm not only yourself but others too. If we 'forget it' today, what about next time? Forget it again? And the time after that?"
"Your 'forget it' will bring you a lot of trouble and will only indulge these little brats, which ultimately harms them. I'm doing this for their own good today, making them remember. Otherwise, when they leave Yunxia Sect in the future and provoke someone they shouldn't, what awaits them won't be just a few slaps!" He stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes.
"You're not a Bodhisattva; you don't need to show mercy to everyone. You're not a Buddha; you don't need to enlighten others. You're just a person, an ordinary person. If you suffer a loss and have the strength, get it back. If you don't have the strength, endure it until you do, then get it back. Live by principles, not by compromise...