Chapter 41: Arrogance to the End (Votes Please)

A steward clung tightly to Riva: "Young master, don't get agitated. Revenge is a dish best served cold. We can't kill him openly. Let's go back and plan our move carefully later."

"Hmph." A cold smile appeared at the corner of Xu Feng's mouth. At least there was one smart person in Riva's group. That guy thought his voice was so low that only the young master could hear, but he never expected that Xu Feng was a mage with keen spiritual awareness. Planning to act in secret? Well, he wouldn't be afraid of this idiot.

In the end, Riva was pulled away by his servants. Watching the baron's entourage disappear into the distance, Loshiki sighed: "Xu Feng, you shouldn't have let things escalate to this point with him."

"He's just a spoiled brat. What is there to fear?"

"Indeed, he is just a fop." The Marquis looked at Xu Feng. This young man was already outstanding among the younger generation of nobles, but after all, he was young and too impulsive. "Riva himself is not to be feared, but what's troublesome is the power behind him."

"Please enlighten me, Uncle."

The Marquis had always shown goodwill, and the relationship between their families was quite good, so Xu Feng respectfully addressed him as uncle.

"Riva is Duke Walter's nephew."

Duke Walter. Xu Feng had been in the imperial capital for several months now and had learned quite a bit about the empire's prominent nobles. At the very least, he had heard of most of the very famous ones.

Hailanxing was a strictly hierarchical world. Compared to ordinary commoners, nobles possessed immense privileges: they were a completely different class. To be granted a noble title, one needed to have made very significant contributions...

Moreover, the empire's noble ranks were divided into six levels: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron, and Knight. Duke was the pinnacle of nobility. The empire had been passed down for two thousand years, yet the proportion of nobles was extremely scarce, less than one-thousandth of the population. As for the title of Duke, from the founding of the nation to the present, the number granted could be counted on one hand.

Duke Walter, the leader of the southern nobles in the empire, held a high position and wielded great power. His influence was no less than that of a feudal lord. Naturally, such a person could not be easily offended.

Xu Feng frowned slightly but soon relaxed and smiled: "Duke Walter is, of course, wealthy and powerful, but Riva seems to be just his nephew, right?"

"Exactly!" This time, Loshiki wore a bitter smile. "If it were three months ago, offending Riva wouldn't have been a big deal..."

The Marquis's words carried a hint of disdain for that playboy. "However, now the situation is different."

Xu Feng smiled without speaking, waiting for the Marquis to continue.

"Duke Walter holds a high position and great power, but his lineage is quite sparse. To this day, the Duke has only one son and one daughter. And three months ago, Young Master Lake became paralyzed after mistakenly eating a poisonous mushroom."

"Paralyzed?"

"Yes, it was a mushroom with a peculiar toxicity. Although they tried their best to save him and managed to keep Young Master Lake alive, he lost all sensation below the neck. Now he can only lie in bed, unable to even take care of himself."

Xu Feng sighed. This young master was truly unfortunate. Originally born into a prominent family, he could be considered a favored son of destiny, but now he was bedridden. It was indeed pitiful.

"In his condition, naturally, the ducal legacy cannot be entrusted to a paralyzed patient. And according to imperial law, women do not have the right to inherit titles..."

Hearing this, Xu Feng had already guessed the outline. "Uncle, you mean that because there is no heir, a pie fell from the sky and hit that arrogant guy just now. Riva suddenly became the future Duke."

The Marquis inwardly admired Xu Feng's intelligence, but this time, he had indeed acted a bit too rashly. Offending a future Duke was not easy to handle!

"How about you host a banquet another day? I will accompany you and help mediate this grudge. Although Riva is arrogant, he should still give me some face."

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle." Xu Feng cupped his hands in salute, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. "But it's not necessary. I, Xu Feng, never regret what I do."

What a joke! Hosting a banquet to apologize? Wouldn't that be an embarrassment to all the transmigrated brothers?

If others do not offend me, I will not offend them. If others offend me, I will certainly offend them. Clearly, the other party provoked first. Even if he were a future Duke, or even a prince, Xu Feng would still beat him up.

What was there to fear from a piece of trash who got carried away by a stroke of luck?

And don't forget, besides being a Viscount, Xu Feng had another identity: the disciple of a Saint-level expert. His teacher was one of the two remaining Archmages among humans. If Bafiklei appeared in the world, even the Emperor would treat him as an honored guest. What was so great about a mere Duke?

Moreover, he hadn't even become one yet!

Of course, unless absolutely necessary, Xu Feng would not rely on his teacher's power. A man should rely on himself. Riva, offending me is what you will truly regret.

Xu Feng was accustomed to nipping danger in the bud. Since the other party posed a threat to him, what if he didn't become the Duke?

There were many methods. For example, he might suddenly encounter some accident... Don't say Xu Feng was ruthless and merciless. There was a famous saying on Earth: being merciful to the enemy is being cruel to oneself. Moreover, someone like Riva, who probably did countless bad things on a daily basis—if Xu Feng caused him to have an "accident," it would simply be eliminating a scourge for the people!

Seeing the young man chatting and laughing calmly, the Marquis also admired Xu Feng's courage. As the ancient saying goes, "Remain unperturbed even if Mount Tai collapses before you." Looking across the empire, among the younger generation of nobles, it was truly hard to find someone as outstanding as Xu Feng.

The Marquis laughed heartily. Seeing that Xu Feng was confident and composed, he said no more. The two rode side by side toward the hunting grounds.

Lush green grass stretched out. This was a vast basin. Except for the southern exit, all other directions were surrounded by green mountains. The mountains were not high, and at their feet lay a dense forest. The scenery was picturesque, and the complex terrain provided a natural hunting ground.

Small animals passed by from time to time—wild rabbits, little deer—while in the forest, there were fierce black bears and tigers. Of course, no magical beasts were seen here. After all, for nobles, hunting was just a pastime; magical beasts were a bit too dangerous.

Many nobles had received invitations. Almost all the prominent figures in the imperial capital were present. Duke Walter was the leader of the southern nobles. He had come to the capital to report on his duties, so naturally, countless people wanted to curry favor with him. Today's hunting event was actually specially prepared for the Duke.

"Uncle Loshiki, please attend to your own affairs."

Xu Feng naturally preferred tranquility and had little interest in noble gatherings. Moreover, his attire seemed even more out of place compared to the other nobles nearby. Especially the young men and women, who were dressed up extravagantly. After all, such gatherings were also a good time to seek partners.

Xu Feng's simple clothing truly made people's eyes pop, but unlike Baron Riva who came from afar, there were few among the capital's circle of powerful nobles who didn't know of this new noble, Xu Feng.

Besides, simplicity did not mean a lack of taste. In fact, Xu Feng's clothes were also quite exquisite. Although they lacked flashy decorations, simplicity had its own beauty. Combined with Xu Feng's handsome looks, his unique attire actually gave him the effect of standing out from the crowd.

Soon, several nobles were drawn over.

The girls were all very young, around seventeen or eighteen years old, their faces tinged with shyness. One of them, pushed forward by her companions, spoke somewhat stammeringly: "H-hello, excuse me... are you Viscount Xufeng?"

Xu Feng smiled slightly: "Hello, you guessed correctly. Nice to meet you." He took the girl's hand and kissed it.

"I... I'm Daisy."

"These are my friends Linda and Fanny."

The other two girls also stepped forward, their eyes filled with shyness and curiosity. Recently, in the noble circles of the capital, stories about Xu Feng had been emerging one after another. These young girls all held some admiration for this miraculous Viscount.

Xu Feng chatted with the girls. His witty conversation and extensive knowledge quickly won the favor of the young ladies. But don't misunderstand—Xu Feng had no intention of flirting. Although he had a fondness for beauty, he was not promiscuous. Teasing these girls now was just to pass the time.

As the saying goes, like poles repel, opposite poles attract. While Xu Feng was happily chatting with several noble young ladies, he naturally drew jealous looks from those nearby. However, despite their displeasure and envy, no one dared to come up and provoke him. The story of Xu Feng beating up Baron Carl had spread throughout the capital. He even dared to hit the son of the Finance Minister. These nobles were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong, so naturally, no one dared to come looking for trouble.

Suddenly, a commotion reached their ears. The nobles gathered together made way, quickly clearing a wide path. Xu Feng's heart tightened. With such a display and presence, it must be Duke Walter arriving.

He waved his hand, signaling the girls beside him to stop talking. Daisy, Fanny, and Linda obediently closed their mouths. Xu Feng looked up, and a man came into view.

To be fair, that man's appearance was not outstanding; one could even say it was very ordinary. His clothes were not particularly splendid either. In short, by conventional reasoning, such a person should be inconspicuous. Yet he caught Xu Feng's eye at once, for no other reason than the special aura he exuded, making him hard to ignore.

No one introduced him, but Xu Feng was already certain: this was the leader of the southern nobles of the empire, the powerful Duke Walter.

The nobles bowed one after another, their faces filled with humility and flattery. The Duke was one of the most powerful figures in the empire; those wanting to curry favor with him were as numerous as fish in a stream.

On either side of the Duke stood a young man and a young woman. The young man was handsome in appearance, but his gaze carried a hint of malice, making one extremely uncomfortable. It was none other than that playboy, Baron Riva, who had been nearly driven to vomiting blood by Xu Feng.

Seeming to sense Xu Feng's gaze, Riva turned his head and happened to see Xu Feng making a contemptuous gesture at him. The Baron trembled with anger, but in such a setting, he couldn't very well make a scene, so he could only fume inwardly.

[bid=1140692,bnme=《Hundred Refinements Immortality》]