Breaking the Day
Chapter 15: Bending The Knee

When Li Chengfeng’s father, Li Chun, saw that his wife and son were humiliated, he couldn’t help but leap up suddenly. With dishevelled hair and widened eyes, he roared, “You blind b*stard, my son is…”

Before he could finish, Madam Xie yelled sternly, “Bring Master to the backyard!”

Li Chun already had five surly servants standing behind so upon hearing the order, they leapt to action. Two grabbed his arms, two grabbed his legs, one stuffed a towel in his mouth in a swift, experienced motion. Like carrying a statue, they quickly carried the struggling and shouting Li Chun out of the hall.

This would’ve been blasphemy in other families. A wife was not expected to disrespect her husband, who was of higher status like that, she could be chased out.

But in the Li family, this was a normal occurrence. Li Chengfeng was quite accustomed to it.

Madam Xie turned around and begged, “Master, you’re a man of virtue from the Spiritual Mountain Sect. Please do not take that to heart, for my husband had gone insane due to his cultivation years ago. I beg you not to take a madman’s words personally.”

Sun Boren saw how her face was dripping with blood and yet she dared not wipe it away so he sneered and turned away without a word.

Madam Xie said, “If you pick our Li family to enter the Spiritual Mountain Sect, we will be very grateful and definitely repay you tremendously!”

Sun Boren suddenly clapped when he heard her. “Ah, Master Lingyun! I remember now!” He grinned at her. “So Master Lingyun knows you. Then you’re not really an outsider, are you?”

Madam Xie was delighted to hear this. Her servant Green Bead by her side passed her a towel discreetly, which was taken equally discreetly. She wiped her face quickly and then hid it in her sleeve as she said cautiously, “Our Li family has prepared five thousand silver pieces as offering this time, and an extra five hundred for your troubles…”

Sun Boren was now giving trouble to the Li family because he had lost the Zhao family’s offering. He had been robbed by some southern thieves who came all the way to the north to throw him into a poop pond so he hadn’t had a place to vent his anger. Naturally, it was bad luck for the Li family.

Cheng’an City was not huge but any substantial family was a loyal supporter of the sect. Many of the major families had members cultivating within the Spiritual Mountain Sect. While Sun Boren was a big shot below the mountain, once on the mountain, he was just a low-ranked member. He would not dare cause too much trouble either. If any family here decided to have a conversation with their children cultivating in the mountain, and news of his rampant bullying spread, it would be bad news for him.

The Li family were relatively new to the city and did not have strong roots in the sect so naturally, he could bully them.

It was a coincidence that Li Chengfeng had met him. At this moment, he was sighing privately. He’d spent so much effort to steal the sect’s offerings, yet it was he who got into trouble! Did karma really exist?

Sun Boren furrowed his brows when he heard that the offering was only five thousand silver pieces and his extra portion was only five hundred. Displeased, he said, “Five thousand? Hah! You seem to take our Spiritual Mountain Sect as beggars!”

When he finished, he flung his sleeve, then got up to leave.

Madam Xie panicked and yelled, “Wait, Master!”

“Hmm?” He turned around and looked down at her.

Madam Xie gritted her teeth. “To tell the truth, the Li family can offer two thousand silver pieces more!”

When she finished, Green Bead couldn’t help but gasp lightly. “Madam, two thousand silver is…”

Madam Xie glared and she shut up, looking down as she teared up. She clutched her handkerchief tightly.

Li Chengfeng also knew that two thousand silver pieces were the last of the money their family had. If that was gone, they would either have to beg in the streets next month or eat nothing!

Yet, Sun Boren merely huffed coldly, then turned to leave.

Madam Xie, the woman who was usually calm and composed in spite of anything, and had the respect of all her servants, suddenly lost her wits and grabbed the tail of Sun Boren’s long robes. She begged pitifully, “Master, that’s already all the money our Li family has!”

Sun Boren raged and kicked her away. “Get off!”

When he kicked her, the wound on her forehead burst open once again. Blood flooded down her face and dripped on the floor.

“I’LL KILL YOU!”

Li Chengfeng leapt in rage, his eyes bloodshot as he shot towards Sun Boren with clenched fists!

Not just him, Zhao Xiaobao leapt up too. His gorgeous face was now contorted with rage as his eyes were locked on Sun Boren. His hand instinctively reached into his sleeve and clutched to two shurikens. Once his young master attacks, he would throw them at Boren’s eyes.

All the other servants in the hall leapt up immediately too! They all glared at Sun Boren, gritting their teeth. Some lifted chairs while others teacups. Even Green Bead took out her jade hairpin, looking like she was ready to fight to her death. They all loved Madam Xie greatly. Their Madam was humiliated, how could they sit and watch?!

They were loyal to her!

Sun Boren sneered, his eyes cold. It was as if they were just a swarm of ants and he could flatten them all with just one finger.

When she saw Li Chengfeng about to pounce on Sun Boren, Madam Xie suddenly yelled sternly, “Chengfeng, stay down!”

Li Chengfeng looked like a paralysing spell was cast on him. He looked at Madam Xie and cried in agony, “Mother!”

Madam Xie yelled once again, “Stay down!”

He was about to cry now. He glared at Sun Boren and then retreated with clenched teeth.

Madam Xie gave Green Bead one look. Green Bead understood immediately, then subsequently gave everyone else a look. Everyone left quietly, leaving only Green Bead and Zhao Xiaobao in the hall.

Madam Xie begged Sun Boren, “Master, I still have some jewellery in the family treasury worth about a thousand silver pieces. If you don’t mind, just take it along. It’s a waste they’re left with an old lady like me anyway. Might as well give it to you, at least it could be of use!”

Green Bead sobbed with a trembling voice, “Madam! That was your wedding gift!”

Madam Xie did not respond. She stared straight at Sun Boren and kowtowed. “If our Li family could enter the Spiritual Mountain Sect, we pledge to serve you forever!”

At this point, Sun Boren knew that he wouldn’t be able to squeeze anything else out of the Li family anymore. His face relaxed as he guffawed. “I heard Cheng’an’s men and women have always been courageous and strong! I think they got it right after all! Hahaha!”

Madam Xie laughed awkwardly. “Apologies that we are not as refined and civilised as you all are! Green Bead, what are you standing there for? Go get my wooden box!”

Only

Green Bead was crying when she turned to leave. After a while, she brought over a wooden box, holding it tightly. When she arrived before Madam Xie, she could not bear to hand it over. Madam Xie was helpless too. She caressed Green Bead’s cheek lovingly and said gently, “Green Bead, let go.”

She finally let go and then covered her mouth, sobbing.

Madam Xie opened the box in front of Sun Boren, whose eyes went unfocused the moment he saw the jewellery inside. How could this be worth only one thousand silver pieces? That’s at least one thousand gold pieces! Not only could he cover the losses from the Zhao family, he could even make a large profit from this! He was rich!

Sun Boren laughed heartily and flung his sleeve. “This is good, this is good! Then I shall run a test for Sir Li over there! If he passes, he will be able to enter the Spiritual Mountain Sect!”

Ecstatic, Madam Shi kowtowed fervently, “Thank you Master, we will be forever grateful!”

Sun Boren walked up to Li Chengfeng and looked down on him coldly. “Aren’t you going to kneel?”

Li Chengfeng was shaking badly, his fists clenched!