As dawn broke, the pressure points on Dongfang Fenghuang and the little princess were released on their own. The moment they could move again, Dongfang Fenghuang couldn't help but let out a scream: "Ah, you scoundrel, I'll kill you sooner or later!"
Then, a large number of wind blades and flames shot out from in front of her, and the room was filled with magical energy fluctuations. The little princess picked up Xiaoyu and hurriedly lay down on the ground.
When the wind and phoenix subsided, the house was in a terrible state. The doors and windows were almost completely destroyed, huge cracks appeared in the four walls, and the roof was creaking and groaning, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Just then, several girls from the next room ran in. The blonde beauty, Ruth, asked, "Phoenix-senpai, what's wrong?"
Dongfang Fenghuang said, "It's nothing, I just had a nightmare. You can all leave now."
Several girls walked out suspiciously.
The little princess stood up, holding Xiaoyu, and patted her chest, saying, "You scared me to death! Phoenix Sister, you looked so scary just now!"
Seeing the little princess's cheerful expression, Dongfang Fenghuang almost lost her temper again. She glared at the little princess fiercely and said, "Little troublemaker, I'm utterly disappointed in you. I didn't expect you to be so disloyal last night, actually... Humph!"
The little princess said aggrievedly, "Sister Phoenix, you've wronged me. I knew my behavior last night would cause you to misunderstand."
Dongfang Fenghuang retorted angrily, "How did I wrong you? What misunderstanding could there be between us? At this crucial moment, you actually wanted to offer me up to that scoundrel. Just thinking about it makes me furious. I really want to beat you up."
The little princess said, "How could you think that way? I kept glancing at you because I was asking you for help."
"I was also immobilized by pressure points, how could I possibly save you? That's a really lame excuse!"
"You're a powerful mage, aren't you? I thought you could use your magic to untie the pressure points yourself, that's why I kept begging you like that."
"Nonsense, a magician's body is very weak, how could he release his pressure points by himself?"
"I don't know. I don't know much about cultivation. I haven't learned any cultivation methods. Otherwise, I wouldn't always be bullied by that scoundrel."
"Sister Phoenix, I'm so sad. I never expected you wouldn't believe me."
"Don't play the victim with small troubles."
"Okay, let's not talk about these unhappy things. Sister Phoenix, let's go have breakfast. I'm so hungry. I want to drink lotus seed porridge and eat shredded chicken rolls."
"You still have the appetite to eat breakfast? Humph, from now on I will never lend you money again." With that, Dongfang Fenghuang dressed herself and walked out of the room.
The little princess hurriedly dressed and chased after him.
"No, Sister Phoenix! You're the only one I know here. How can you bear to watch me starve?"
...
Shortly after they left, their house collapsed with a loud crash.
Recently, strange things have been happening in the academy. First, a minor troublemaker led thousands of cultivators to besiege the academy, and then the "Phoenix Guard" swept through and hunted down scoundrels, causing a lot of discussion among the students.
Just as the storm was subsiding, a secret spread like wildfire throughout the academy: a magic student was attacked at night, beaten black and blue, and left in a flowerbed.
When people released his pressure points and revived him, he mumbled the word "scoundrel" in a daze, but afterwards, no matter how people asked him, he would stammer and stop answering.
Soon after, news broke that Dongfang Fenghuang had gone on a rampage early in the morning and demolished his dormitory. Many people connected the two incidents and believed that both were related to scoundrels.
The "Phoenix Storm" reignited, with magic students wanting nothing more than to tear Chen Nan apart. This incident left Dongfang Fenghuang extremely embarrassed, as she could hear people gossiping about her wherever she went.
Fortunately, this time the little princess had a change of heart and didn't take the opportunity to cause trouble. She tried her best to clarify the "facts" for Dongfang Fenghuang. With her explanation, people roughly understood the "ins and outs" of the matter. Last night, they fell for someone's trick of luring them away from the mountain. When they went out to catch the thief, the thief took advantage of their vulnerability and broke in. As a result, they lost many valuable things. This morning, Dongfang Fenghuang was furious about it.
It was obvious that the thief was a scoundrel, and the "Phoenix Guard" once again spontaneously mobilized to search for Chen Nan throughout the city. Because the academy had announced the cancellation of the "Find the Left Hand of God" assessment question two days ago, those students who had mistakenly chosen this question were completely liberated, and the search party for Chen Nan had grown considerably.
When Chen Nan woke up in the morning, he played with the red crystal he had broken off from the Eastern Phoenix Magic Wand. At that moment, he could imagine the Eastern Phoenix going berserk.
"Finally, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I'll definitely teach that despicable and shameless vice dean a lesson another day. That damned old man is the most hateful guy."
Just as Chen Nan was about to put away the red crystal, he suddenly stopped. He took off the jade ruyi from his neck and put the two together.
The jade ruyi emitted a soft light that enveloped the magic crystal, and then streams of red light flowed from the magic crystal toward the jade ruyi like water.
Chen Nan hurriedly separated the two and, upon closer inspection, discovered that the magic crystal had developed several small cracks and its luster had dimmed considerably.
"It truly is miraculous!"
As Chen Nan stepped out of the inn, he encountered the students who had been searching for him. He secretly marveled at the astonishing charm of Dongfang Fenghuang, noting that she had so many loyal supporters. Although he was confident in his martial arts skills, he dared not face so many indignant protectors; he didn't want to repeat the tragic experience of being chased by a mob again.
But if he continued to hide in the inn, he would go crazy. He had been recuperating in the inn for the past few days and was already tired of it.
He decided to go out of town for a walk. He cut off a few strands of his long hair and stuck them on his chin to make himself look like a big bearded man. Then he asked his shop assistant to buy him a wide-brimmed hat to wear on his head.
Chen Nan swaggered out of the inn, but he kept a close eye on the students on the street. Fortunately, no one paid attention to him, and he successfully left the City of Freedom.
The city of Liberty is surrounded by green hills and winding streams, and not far from the city lies a lush forest.
"Phew~~~" Chen Nan let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "Living in the City of Sin isn't bad. I can come out and enjoy the scenery when I have free time, and cause some trouble at the Divine Wind Academy when I'm bored..."
At this moment, an old man in a blue robe was secretly observing him in the woods. Upon hearing his words, the old man's beard bristled with anger. He then took out a piece of gauze from his robes and secretly covered his face with it.
Unaware of anything amiss, Chen Nanhao stretched his arms comfortably as he walked into the forest. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up above his head, terrifying him to the core. He had no time to dodge, which showed just how terrifying the newcomer's cultivation was, as he hadn't sensed it beforehand.
He instinctively tilted his head, but still couldn't dodge the attack. His vision went black as a cloth bag was placed over his head, and at the same time, a surge of internal energy penetrated his body from top to bottom, sealing his acupoints.
At the same time, a loud shout rang in his ears: "Robbery!" But the voice was clearly a fake, making it impossible to tell his age, but it was definitely a man.
Chen Nan thought to himself, "Damn it, no way! Someone actually tried to rob me, and they succeeded! How could I be so pathetic as to get subdued by a petty thief?!"
Before he could think any further, he was hit with a barrage of punches, making him grimace in pain. He yelled, "Stop! Stop! Let's talk this out!"
Chen Nan never imagined such a day would come; he was actually beaten by a highway robber. Normally, this would be an absolute joke to him. But what happened today made him realize how unlucky he was. He secretly vowed that as soon as he could regain his mobility, he would immediately beat the robber to a pulp, then tear him to pieces.
To his dismay, the bandits did not stop because he compromised; instead, they became even more aggressive, punching and kicking him, and every inch of his skin was "taken care of."
The robbers were very skilled at beating people. They did not injure Chen Nan's bones, but every punch and kick caused him great pain. They focused on the areas with sensitive pain nerves, and in a short time, Chen Nan was covered in cold sweat.
"Damn it, you damned robber, I curse your dear mother!" Chen Nan was furious. He had actually been beaten up by a petty thief. He had lost face big time today.
"You little brat, how dare you swear at me! I'll beat you up!" The masked man unleashed another flurry of punches and kicks. Chen Nan was in so much pain that he wanted to curse again, but considering the consequences, he had to change his tone and whisper, "Brother bandit, please stop! I have a total of 110 gold coins on me. You can have them all. Please stop hitting me."
"I'll hit you, I'll hit you again, I'm going to beat you up, you little bastard!" A barrage of punches rained down on his head.
Chen Nan felt that he must be bruised and battered by now, definitely comparable to the magician from Shenfeng Academy who he had beaten up. Thinking about it, their experiences were indeed similar.
"I misspoke, sir, please stop! I'll give you all my valuables." He cursed inwardly, for he was actually being so subservient to a bandit; this was unthinkable under normal circumstances.
The robbers continued to punch and kick him, treating him like a human punching bag, venting their anger on him however they pleased, until he was almost unconscious. After this excruciating torture, Chen Nan felt like his bones were about to break.
After the storm subsided, the robbers began to search him, eventually taking everything from his pockets.
"My God, so many cracks have appeared in the red polished crystal!" This time, the robber's voice was no longer a fake one; Chen Nan immediately recognized it as an old man's angry voice.
"You little brat, you actually damaged it! How are you going to pay for it?"
At that moment, Chen Nan suddenly realized that this was no bandit at all, but undoubtedly a master from the Divine Wind Academy, and someone who must know Dongfang Fenghuang. Presumably, the other party already knew what he had done last night and had come to retaliate. He felt like crying, having actually provoked such a hateful and terrifying perverted old man.
"How did you damage the red crystal? Tell me!" Chen Nan felt himself being lifted up by a pair of strong hands.
"Hey, hey... old man, please calm down. I accidentally slapped it, so..."
"What?! Absolutely despicable!"
Chen Nan felt a sudden dizziness, and with a "thump," he was thrown to the ground, the pain bringing tears to his eyes.
"You shameless brat, how dare you harass my granddaughter and forcibly dismantle her wand! You're utterly despicable! I'll beat you... I'll beat you hard..."
Chen Nan was once again brutally attacked by Rou Lin. He never expected that Dongfang Fenghuang would have such a powerful and abnormal grandfather. He could only scream in despair. In the end, the old man kicked him angrily and turned to leave.
It took Chen Nan a long time to release his pressure points. He ripped the cloth bag off his head and slammed it to the ground. He was extremely frustrated because he had been beaten up and hadn't even seen the other person.
"Dongfang Fenghuang actually has such a terrifyingly powerful grandfather..." He was on the verge of tears.
Just as he picked up the scattered gold coins and was about to turn and leave, a faint chuckle sounded behind him, and the old monster appeared in front of him as if out of thin air.
"Ah, senior..." At this moment, Chen Nan's face was bruised and swollen. He felt a little embarrassed when he saw the old monster and stammered.
"Heh, interesting. You actually dare to cause trouble at Shenfeng Academy? You're incredibly audacious!"
"I just accidentally provoked a difficult girl, and I didn't expect that girl to make false accusations and push her grandfather into it. That old man is absolutely despicable. Next time I sneak into Shenfeng Academy at night, I'm definitely going to set it on fire. Ouch..." Chen Nan's words aggravated the wound on the corner of his mouth, making him wince in pain.
The old monster laughed, "What do you take the Divine Wind Academy for? Do you think you can come and go as you please?"
Chen Nan said, "I've already scouted that place twice at night."
The old monster asked, "Which places have you explored?"
Chen Nan said, "I walked around inside for a whole time."
The old monster laughed and said, "If I'm not mistaken, many people inside have already discovered you, but they just haven't made things difficult for you."
Chen Nan was taken aback and exclaimed, "No way?"
The old monster said, "There are many extraordinary people inside; it's definitely not an ordinary place." Then he changed the subject and said, "Well, I heard that that troublesome little brat has joined the Divine Wind Academy. I was just about to go and remove the restrictions on her so she could learn something there. I didn't expect to run into you here. It seems I don't need to show up."
Chen Nan broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and said, "Senior, aren't you going to see her?"
"No, you can take care of her for me." With that, the old monster disappeared into the forest in two steps.
In a short while, the elders of Dongfang Fenghuang and the little princess came to visit one after another, which made Chen Nan feel annoyed, especially Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather. He now really wanted to have a big fight with that hateful old man.
After this ordeal, he lost all interest in the scenery and listlessly walked towards the city of sin. Before entering the city, he pressed his hat down low over and over again, not wanting anyone to see him in his current wretched state.
In the City of Freedom, the streets were bustling with pedestrians, and students from the Divine Wind Academy occasionally weaved through the crowd. Chen Nan, who had been thoroughly beaten up outside the city, was now extremely agitated to see groups of people searching for him. He really wanted to grab one of them and give him a good beating.
Suddenly a commotion broke out ahead, and someone shouted, "There's a duel ahead! Come quick!"
The crowd surged forward out of curiosity, and Chen Nan couldn't help but follow. At this moment, his face was bruised and swollen. He wasn't worried about being recognized, but he was somewhat embarrassed because many people were looking at him with strange eyes.
A dozen or so young people stood in an open space ahead. Upon closer inspection, it was easy to see that they were all cultivators, mostly mages. One of the young men held up a large flag with four large characters written on it: "Challenge the Scoundrels".
Chen Nan was so angry he almost choked. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. But then he chuckled coldly, because he felt he had finally found a punching bag and wanted to teach that guy who was waving the flag a lesson.
The young man waving the big flag shouted, "Has the scum arrived? I knew you'd get wind of this sooner or later and come here. If you're a man, come out and fight us!"
The onlookers buzzed with discussion, with one asking, "Who is this scoundrel that warrants such a large-scale operation by the experts of Shenfeng Academy?"
The young man said, "You're a reckless madman, a shameless scoundrel, yet you dare not face us. Scoundrel, have you come? Did you hear me? Come out and fight me if you dare. If you can defeat me, my brothers and I guarantee you'll leave unscathed, and we'll never hunt you down again. If you're afraid, then keep cowering!"
Chen Nan had just suffered a great loss and was extremely unhappy. Hearing this, his anger surged. He tore off half of his sleeve with a "hiss" and covered his face. Then he leaped up and flew over the heads of the crowd, landing in the middle of the field.
A commotion erupted among the spectators outside the arena. A dozen or so young men inside the arena beamed with joy. The young man carrying the large flag handed the flagpole to someone else, scrutinized Chen Nan, and said, "So you're the scoundrel? You've finally shown yourself."
"Pah, you're the scum!" Chen Nan interrupted him, saying, "Do you stand by what you just said?"
The young man said, "Of course, once I've said it in front of so many people, can I take it back?"
Chen Nan asked, "Can you represent all the students of Shenfeng Academy?"
"This..." The young man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't worry, as long as you can defeat me today, I guarantee you can leave peacefully. No one will make things difficult for you, and our group of brothers will never continue to hunt you down."
"Fine, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Today I'm going to get my revenge. Your Shenfeng Academy owes me far too much. You treacherous vice-dean, that despicable old man from the East, I, XXXXXXX, let me collect some interest from you students first!"
Seeing Chen Nan's emotional outburst, the dozen or so students looked surprised, not understanding why he was so agitated.
More and more students rushed here after hearing the news. In no time, there were dozens of people in the field, and the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, making the place completely packed.
The young man said, "You scum, are you ready?"
"I'm so stupid, you're the real scumbag. My surname is Chen."
"If you're ready, you scoundrel Chen, I'm about to make my move."
"Go to hell, you babbling, self-deprecating bastard!" Chen Nan threw a punch, the powerful force of which was terrifying.
The young man quickly floated into the air and said, "You scoundrel Chen, do you have any martial ethics? You actually ambushed me. Humph, let's begin."
Chen Nan looked at him and said, "So you're a ghost mage. The magic faction has the most people chasing me. Today I'm going to beat you into a pig-headed monster and set an example for them!" With that, he leaped high into the air and struck the mage with a palm.
The mage quickly drifted to the side, then chanted a spell, and magical elements gathered into a fireball the size of an egg, which rushed towards Chen Nan.
Chen Nan dared not underestimate it, and dodged to the side. The fireball crashed into the ground with a loud "boom," creating a large, charred crater. The onlookers were terrified and hurriedly retreated, making the area much larger.
The mage then launched a series of magical attacks, causing flames to rage across the area. Waves of flames surged toward Chen Nan, and occasionally lightning would strike, crackling and popping incessantly.
Chen Nan moved with lightning speed, dodging rapidly, but a piece of his clothing was still accidentally burned. He quickly swung his hand to slash it off. Just as the mage in the air was feeling triumphant, a sharp sword aura suddenly shot into the sky, its dazzling edge nearly piercing through the mage, scaring him so much that he dared not approach any closer.
The students from Shenfeng Academy watching from the sidelines were shocked. They understood what kind of strength that golden sword energy represented, but they never expected that the despicable scoundrel was actually an Eastern martial artist who had entered the third level.
Although the onlookers did not understand the cultivation methods, they could not help but marvel at the surging flames, flashes of lightning, and the occasional golden glints that pierced the air. Cheers rose and fell, and the area outside was filled with noise.
The mage dared not get too close to Chen Nan, attempting to unleash long-range magic from high above, but the power was significantly reduced, rendering it ineffective against Chen Nan. Finally, he could only rapidly drift through the air, waiting for the right moment to swoop down and launch a sneak attack before quickly retreating.
While these magical attacks posed little threat to Chen Nan, the constant defensive maneuvers were extremely frustrating. However, the mage in the air seemed to fear him and refused to get too close, leaving Chen Nan helpless. His only option now appeared to be to wait for the mage to run out of magic and be unable to remain suspended in the air before capturing and killing him.
Hearing the commotion outside, Chen Nan glanced around and saw that nearly a hundred students from Shenfeng Academy had arrived. He felt a sense of foreboding; if this continued, someone would eventually send a message to Dongfang Fenghuang, and if he angered her, he would be in deep trouble.
Looking at the mage in the air, he gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "If I use the Dragon-Capturing Hand from this distance, it will probably consume half of my power. If I can't successfully capture him, I'll be in real danger. Never mind, I must finish this quickly."
Chen Nan unleashed over a dozen sword energies in succession, their dazzling sharpness hissing in the air, startling the mage into hastily fleeing. After the golden sword energies dissipated, the mage swiftly charged down, unleashing seven or eight small fireballs in quick succession, followed by several bolts of lightning.
Faced with this rampant magical energy, Chen Nan moved with lightning speed, dodging to the side. Then, he waved both hands, creating a fierce gust of wind, and shouted, "Dragon-Capturing Hand!"
Two enormous golden hands swept towards the mage in mid-air like lightning. The mage had no time to react before being firmly grasped by the hands of light. A gale surged, the force was overwhelming, and dust and sand flew up from the ground as the hands swept the mage back.
Exclamations rose and fell from the sidelines. The common people, who did not know martial arts, kept shouting in alarm, and the scene became chaotic.
"My God, it's a divine palm strike!"
...
The students from Shenfeng Academy were also stunned, none of them expecting Chen Nan to possess such a unique skill. By the time they came to their senses, screams of agony filled the arena.
After capturing the magician, Chen Nan pinned him to the ground and then beat him mercilessly, venting all the anger he felt from being beaten by the old man from the East in the forest onto the magician.
The students nearby rushed forward, but these mages were all weak, and several of them were grabbed by the arms and thrown away by Chen Nan. Later, the students were about to cast a spell in anger, but Chen Nan stopped and released the mage who had been brutally beaten.
The mage who had been beaten staggered to his feet. At that moment, his swollen cheeks and dark circles under his eyes were just as bad as those of the masked Chen Nan.
"Ah, that feels so good~~~" Chen Nan stretched and let out a long breath.
"You..." The mages around him were almost driven mad and nearly launched a collective magical attack on him.
Chen Nan quickly waved his hand and said, "We had an agreement beforehand that you must not make things difficult for me after I defeat him." After saying that, he was about to leave.
The students from the Divine Wind Academy stared at his retreating figure, their eyes practically spitting fire. One of the magicians shouted, "Stop!"
Chen Nan turned around and coldly looked at the students who were eyeing him menacingly, and said, "Do you want to back out?"
The magician who shouted said, "You scoundrel, do you want to completely escape our pursuit? We will set up a challenge at the academy in three days. If you can defeat the representative we have chosen, we will stop hunting you from now on."
"Is there anyone willing to be my punching bag? Okay, I'll go fight in three days."
All the students glared at him with murderous intent, making Chen Nan feel a chill run down his spine. Fearing that the angry students might suddenly lose control and chase after him, he hurriedly slipped out of the field and disappeared into the crowd.
Shortly after Chen Nan left, Dongfang Fenghuang and the Little Princess led a dozen or so girls to the martial arts arena. Dongfang Fenghuang was furious upon learning that Chen Nan had already departed, but when she heard that Chen Nan would be challenging Shenfeng Academy to a duel in three days, a hint of joy flashed across her face, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "You scoundrel… I'll definitely meet you in person then!"
Back at the inn, Chen Nan stared at his swollen face in the mirror, nearly going mad. The status of Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather in his heart had skyrocketed, reaching the level of a vice-dean—in terms of sheer hatred. He vowed to find an opportunity to take revenge on those two despicable old men.
In the last post, countless lecherous men commented in the review section that the protagonist was manly, which puzzled me. Looking back, I realized it was because the protagonist flirted with a beautiful woman. If, by volume five, the protagonist is spectacularly pushed down by a certain woman... wouldn't the protagonist become the man among men among men among men...?