Chapter Eleven: Eldest Brother

"What a hassle. Dealing with a trivial brute like Hongtian, and yet you want me to intervene?" A man in plain clothes appeared behind them, entering their line of sight.

"Second Elder, this Hongtian is quite formidable. Otherwise, we wouldn't have called you here," the young men nodded and bowed, their earlier bravado vanished without a trace.

"Formidable?" A cold, piercing gaze shot toward Hongtian.

The moment Hongtian felt Zhan'an's eyes fix upon him, it was as if he had been slain by that look.

Zhan'an's body vanished into thin air, only to reappear a second later before Hongtian. He struck decisively—a swift, clean kick.

"Bang!"

Hongtian was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall beside the road, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Big Brother!" His followers, seeing their leader struck, were ablaze with fury.

"You bastard! How dare you hit our boss!"

"All of you, stand down!" Hongtian saw his men poised to attack, but Zhan'an was a name on the assassin's list. If Hongtian himself couldn't best him, his followers stood even less of a chance.

"Big Brother, we've got numbers! Even if we have to risk our lives, we'll take him down. Charge!" one of them shouted fiercely.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Four thuds, four figures were sent tumbling to Hongtian's side.

"When will you lot ever listen to me!" Hongtian scolded angrily, though his heart was warmed that his brothers would risk their lives for him at such a time. When one is powerful, many will fight for you, but when hope is lost and they still stand by your side, that is true brotherhood.

"Second Elder, truly remarkable!" The youths watched in awe—this Hongtian, whom they feared, couldn't withstand even a single move from Zhan'an. Now they regarded Zhan'an as a god, someone never to be offended.

"So, Hongtian, are we qualified to negotiate now? And this lovely girl, we can take her with us, right?" The youth laughed, his face twisted with excitement. This was a great achievement; Scarface would surely be pleased, perhaps even let him oversee part of the territory. The profits here were enticing, after all.

"You two lovebirds, I apologize. On my turf, I failed to protect you," Hongtian said with regret, glancing at Xia Ling and Ye Feng. He then turned to the youth, "You've won. Do as you wish."

"Good, you know your place! Second Elder, let each of them chop off one of his arms," the youth said coolly. "Looks like I won't have any scars to earn respect back home! Ha ha..."

"You!" Hongtian was furious. He had already conceded so much, yet they wouldn't let him go. He didn't fear for himself, but hated that his brothers would be dragged down.

"What? That's the price for offending Scarface!" the youth growled, then deferentially turned to Zhan'an. "Please, Second Elder, do the honors."

"What a nuisance." Zhan'an strode slowly toward Hongtian and his men.

"Wait!" Hongtian painfully stood up. "These are my brothers. They only followed my orders. If there was any wrongdoing, I alone will take the blame, endure the punishment. There are five of us—cut off two arms, two legs, and take my head. Will that suffice?"

"No!" his followers cried out simultaneously. "Let me take the blow for you, Big Brother!"

"We'll each trade two arms for one of yours!"

"Enough! I don't need you to sacrifice for me! From today forward, I'm no longer your boss, and you're no longer my brothers. Get out!" Hongtian shouted, trying to save his men.

A mocking applause echoed; the youth sneered, "You make a fine boss, but the more united you are, the less comfortable we feel."

"Such loyalty! I am moved, but I don't care for loyalty. Do you know why I'm called Zhan'an? When I kill, I always let the victim know—none have ever witnessed my blade in action!" Zhan'an boasted.

He raised his right hand lightly. "I'm about to draw my blade!"

In the next moment—

A gust of wind swept past the youths.

A blade halted perfectly above Hongtian's right arm, unmoving.

A blade!

Everyone saw it clearly.

A hand firmly gripped the back of the blade.

"Your blade isn't so impressive," Ye Feng said quietly.

Hongtian and his men nearly bulged their eyes out; none had seen how the blade appeared, only that it was suddenly poised above Hongtian's arm, caught by a young man.

That young man was Ye Feng!

A slap in the face—absolute humiliation.

Zhan'an had just boasted that no one had ever seen him draw his blade. Now everyone stared at it.

Zhan'an's face darkened. He realized that anyone who could catch his blade barehanded must be a true master. And such a master had been here all along without his notice.

"You seem fond of crippling others' arms," Ye Feng said coldly.

Before Zhan'an could respond, Ye Feng's other hand appeared on his shoulder.

A crunch echoed—a bone shattered, making the youths shudder.

Now they saw clearly: the one who caught Zhan'an's blade barehanded was the boyfriend of the beautiful girl they had harassed!

Watching Zhan'an unable to retaliate, the youths felt their pants grow damp, yellowish liquid dripping steadily. The air filled with the stench of urine.

"Bang!" Ye Feng kicked Zhan'an away.

"If you ever appear before me again, I'll cripple your other arm! Get lost!" Ye Feng roared, making everyone tremble, especially the youths whose legs quivered so much they could barely stand.

Ye Feng hadn't been interested in Hongtian when his brothers faltered, but at the critical moment, every one of them stood firm, none retreating. To have such loyal men meant Hongtian was not ordinary.

Zhan'an now had no fight left in him. He knew Ye Feng's strength was immense. Ranked fiftieth on the assassin's list, he had always been respected. Now, he could only grit his teeth, "What's your name? You're strong!"

"Ye Feng."

Hearing the name, Zhan'an vanished.

"Ye Feng? A hero in his youth! We really disgraced ourselves just now," Hongtian laughed awkwardly. He had meant to help Ye Feng, but had been of no use.

"What are you saying? If you hadn't helped us earlier..." Ye Feng thought for a moment. Actually, even without Hongtian they wouldn't have been in trouble. "But you did get involved for our sake."

"You flatter me, brother. They came with a purpose—without you, they'd still have targeted us. You saved us!" Hongtian said honestly.

"Did I? Ha ha... Well, let's call it even then!"

Hongtian exchanged a glance with his brothers, then suddenly knelt.

"What are you doing?" Ye Feng wondered if they were about to make him their boss, but he was just a simple student.

"Hongtian is incompetent, unable to protect his brothers! Please, be our leader," Hongtian said decisively. He knew Zhan'an was strong, and he himself couldn't withstand even one move. Yet Zhan'an couldn't withstand even one move from Ye Feng. If they could align themselves with such a figure, no one would dare bully Hongtian's gang again.

"No, no... I'm still a student. I just want to study, maybe chase girls, nothing too ambitious," Ye Feng replied helplessly.

At first, they admired Ye Feng for having such a beautiful girlfriend; then for his strength; now, for his boldness to speak of chasing girls in front of his girlfriend.

"Big Brother, you must accept. Otherwise, I won't get up," Hongtian insisted, resolved to cling to this mountain.

"I've told you, I don't want to get involved in anything. I just want to enjoy a quiet student life. Being your boss is out of the question," Ye Feng found the invitation hard to refuse.

"Big Brother, you just need to be our leader. You don't have to handle any matters," Hongtian hurriedly added. With Ye Feng present, even the 'Third Young Master' wouldn't dare make a move.

Ye Feng pondered. He was here to study anyway, and having a few followers could be convenient. Most importantly, their conduct had impressed him. Hongtian, despite being the leader, had no airs, and his men would risk their lives for him. Such brothers would not betray him, unlike those who scatter at the first sign of trouble. He believed these men were different. "But I seem to be much younger than you all?"

Hongtian smiled sheepishly. "Are we that old? But, Big Brother, in today's world, it's not about age—it's about strength."

"Well..." Ye Feng frowned, troubled.

"Don't hesitate!" Hongtian turned to his men. "Come pay your respects to the Big Brother!"

"Big Brother!"

"But let me be clear: I won't get involved in your affairs. Also, keep my identity secret—I don't want all my classmates calling me 'Boss HB'," Ye Feng decided.

"Yes, Big Brother!" the men shouted in unison.

The young men were stunned. Hongtian had gained such a powerful ally; with Zhan'an, they could have stood out among the three major gangs, but now with someone even stronger, things would change.

"Big Brother! From now on, you are our leader!" The youths, ignoring their wet pants, hurried over and knelt.

"Big Brother, what should we do with these guys?" Hongtian asked.

Ye Feng felt awkward being addressed this way, yet it was oddly satisfying.

"I don't like these people. Do as you see fit," Ye Feng said casually, then fixed his gaze on the youths. "If any of you dare resist, I promise you'll never stand again!"

As he spoke, his eyes lingered on their soaked trousers before turning toward Xia Ling.

Hongtian and his brothers stood up, grinning playfully.

"Didn't you say you wanted some wounds for respect back home? We'll oblige!" Hongtian signaled to his men.

"How dare you covet our sister-in-law! How dare you..." they chanted.

Xia Ling rolled her eyes at Ye Feng when she heard their chorus.

Once the troublemakers had been dealt with, Hongtian and his men hurried to Ye Feng's side.

"Greetings, Big Brother! Greetings, Sister-in-law!"

"Listen up, I have your first task for you."

"Please instruct us, Big Brother!"

"If anyone bullies her, don't ask why—just fight. Understood?" Ye Feng pointed to Xia Ling.

"We'll protect Sister-in-law at all costs!"

Ye Feng was filled with satisfaction hearing their chorus.

"Ling'er, let's continue shopping!" he said.

Xia Ling resumed browsing the shops, unfazed by the earlier events.

Naturally, the task of carrying bags fell to Ye Feng's followers.

Xia Ling wandered ahead, occasionally buying something. Ye Feng followed with hands behind his back, sometimes pulling out his wallet. His followers trailed behind, praising, "Big Brother is so generous! Sister-in-law has such great taste!"