White-Robed Chief
Chapter 96: Deep Thoughts

Xu Anxia stared at Luo Feng as he sat down.

Luo Feng gently took a few sips of tea, ignoring the people around him.

The four Clan Leaders felt that this was a little awkward. No matter how much thought they gave the matter, they still could not believe that Luo Feng had just walked in so imposingly, and even became the Foreign Minister.

Hu Hai was no longer able to hold back his curiosity. "Lady Chen Siyu… Is he the Flaming Sun Palm Luo Feng?"

"Yes, indeed he is," Chen Siyu confirmed. "Leader Hu and the other Clan Leaders, he's a part of our family from now on. Let's work together so that we can dominate the Cloud State Town!"

Everyone was looking at Luo Feng, trying to read his true intentions.

Luo Feng leisurely put down the cup of tea and lazily saluted everyone with closed fists. This made Chen Siyu feel helpless. Luo Feng was extremely arrogant. He never wanted to join the faction; in fact, he even looked down upon them.

Xu Anxia coldly scoffed.

Zheng Gongming was squinting his eyes and stroking his beard. He looked over at Luo Feng and held back his temper, remaining silent.

Hu Hai smiled. "Lady Chen Siyu, Luo Feng has actually become our Foreign Minister. The Lady's aspiration and breadth of mind are even better than that of a man's! Very impressive!"

"Stop praising me, Leader Hu!" Chen Siyu gently smiled and shook her head. "Elder Luo came and joined us! The Startling Cloud Association's capability has been greatly increased. We now have a chance of defeating the Equal of Heaven Association one day."

Hu Hai puffed up his chest. He felt confident. "Let's see what masters our juniors will bring back this time!"

Xu Anxia had an absent expression on his face. There was an uncomfortable feeling welling up inside him he was not able to release.

"I've heard about your Flaming Sun Palm for quite some time." He Shou fist saluted and smiled. "Why did Brother Luo Feng lower himself and join our clan? I can't wrap my head around it!"

Hu Hai laughed. "This must be Master Li's doing!"

Luo Feng coughed softly. "You're correct, Master Li asked of me to join," he said in a serious tone.

His old face began to boil.

Suddenly, everyone understood. Each of them had their own opinions. It was Master Li once again!

Chen Siyu clapped her hands and laughed. "That's all for today. We still have plenty of time in the future. We'll slowly get to know each other as we work and spend time together. Now, everyone head back to work!"

"Lady Chen Siyu, I'll stay here," Hu Hai said. "You only have Elder Zheng and Young Xu Anxia to accompany you. I'm worried."

He looked at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng was still a new member and his loyalty was still questionable to say the last. What if he was a spy from the Equal of Heaven Association? If he decided to start rampaging right then and there, it would be a fatal blow. Master Li had already left, so Hu Hai needed to be more careful.

"I have Elder Luo with me, I'll be fine," Chen Siyu said.

Hu Hai thought in his head, Luo Feng was the one he was suspicious of, but Hu Hai laughed and said, "I'm not busy today."

Chen Siyu knew what Hu Hai was thinking. She smiled. "It's okay Leader Hu, you can go on and complete your work. I'll be careful!" She replied.

Hu Hai saw Chen Siyu signal him with her eyes, so he unwillingly nodded and looked over at Luo Feng. He fist saluted. "Okay then, I'll return later tonight."

Chen Siyu shook her delicate hand.

Everyone left the main hall and exited from the Xu Residence's main gate.

"The Flaming Sun Palm Luo Feng. Why has he come here? Becoming our Foreign Minister too…" said He Shou.

The Flaming Sun Palm Luo Feng was very powerful and famous within the Martial Arts World. He was the kind that would actually look down on the Startling Cloud, and yet he had lowered his own standing when he became the Foreign Minister! Why would he have done such a thing to himself!?

In addition, Luo Feng had even attacked Lady Chen Siyu before. They had switched paradigms so quickly, and on top of that, Luo Feng had indeed risen up to Foreign Minister. The whole situation had escalated far too quickly!

"It must've been Master Li." The Hurricane Clan Leader, Cheng Changfeng sighed. "Our Master can actually pull off what the others can't!"

"Master Li must've forced Luo Feng." Hu Hai laughed. "Did you see how dejected Luo Feng looked? There's no other possibility!"

"It's all because Master Li was worried about Lady Chen Siyu's safety." Cheng Changfeng shook his head and forced a smile. "and also because we're useless and our capabilities are too low."

"Even if we've improved, we can't possibly compare ourselves to Luo Feng!" He Shou sighed.

Though they were a powerful figure in Cloud State Town, they were actually nameless and not even worthy of a mention in the Martial Arts World. They may have reached the innate master boundary, but there was still a fundamental difference in ability, a difference as vast as the clouds and the earth.

"That makes sense," Hu Hai said. "Our skill isn't even close to his level. We can't do anything!"

He Shou scoffed, "I've heard of the Flaming Sun Palm for such a long time… I'd like to learn some moves from him!"

As the Leader of the Rain Clan, he knew how to be flexible and read the situation. He Shou was glad to have Luo Feng around, but at the same time was also worried about his allegiance.

Luo Feng joining the clan had indeed increased its capabilities, but if they wanted to gain something from it, they still had to stand by the Faction Leader's side.

The Flaming Sun Palm was far more famous than most other factions. Luo Feng's martial arts was powerful and hegemonic, and since he had Lady Chen Siyu's support, it made him even more arrogant. This made the four Clan Leaders incredibly stressed.

During Xu Zhichun's reign, the four Clan Leaders had their powers restricted to its minimum. They had no right to speak or give any opinions, only obey the Leader. Now that it had come to an end, the Leader's prestige was no longer as powerful. They were able to live a better life, so much so that they wanted to maintain this life very badly; they wanted to continue helping the Leader protect the town.

Once the Leader got powerful, if the Clan Leaders wanted to go back to the good old days, they wouldn't be able to help but feel unwilling.

Since he had this thought roaming in his head, he wanted to demonstrate his strength to Luo Feng.

Zheng Gongming and Xu Anxia were no match for him. They only won because they had surprised their adversary. They were already prepared, and there was not much room left for the situation to be at their disadvantage. Even if there was, they only had to fight for a brief time period.

"Elder Ho, you can't do it." Hu Hai laughed.

"I still need to fight even if I can't beat him!" He Shou scoffed, "I need to let him know who the real owner is!"

"Oh, you…" Hu Hai shook his head. "You think too much. Don't worry, Lady Chen Siyu won't kick you aside after using you!"

Hu Hai knew what He Shou was worried about, but did not want to say it out loud.

Since Luo Feng joined the clan, he must have become Lady Chen Siyu's favorite subordinate. He will have pressured them since they did not have the confidence and the capabilities to retaliate, making their lives complicated.

"Lady Chen Siyu is still young, she nonetheless needs us old folks to help her. You better not have any ulterior motives," said He Shou.

Hu Hai laughed. "You better don't go down the wrong path, yourself. The Hurricane Clan's ex-leader is a good example! Master Li won't be as merciful this time!"

"Indeed." He Shou felt a jolt in his heart.

None of them felt safe with Master Li, who had a high level of skill in martial arts. He was cold hearted and never even blinked when he killed. Even if they were Clan Leaders, Master Li would not be lenient.

"Okay, we'll need to show Luo Feng that we pose some kind of threat," Cheng Changfeng said. "But I'm worried that if we do it wrong, it'll only make it worse."

"Maybe not!" He Shou scoffed, "I've improved a lot in my martial arts!"

Hu Hai laughed. "Okay then, I'd like to see how good the Flaming Sun Palm is!"

Everyone gathered in the Xu Residence that evening.

They went to the residence every day to discuss the problems the faction was currently facing. Conversations popped up every now and then, and in turn, so did the people's opinions. This habit had developed since Chen Siyu became the new Faction Leader.

Chen Siyu and Luo Feng had not arrived, so Hu Hai and the others were sitting together, drinking tea and shooting the breeze.

"Elder Zheng, has Luo Feng put you in any trouble?" Hu Hai smiled and asked.

Normally, Zheng Gongming would be taking a nap then and keeping silent, but when he heard Hu Hai asking him this question, he opened his eyes and stroked his beard while he laughed.

"Him—? Hmph!"

Xu Anxia asked, "What, did they get in a fight?"

Hu Hai shifted forward and laughed.

Xu Anxia twitched his mouth, feeling unconvinced, and scoffed, "His eyes are way above his head! He doesn't even feel like giving us any acknowledgment!"

"Oh—?" He Shou furrowed his brows. "He's that proud, is he?"

"He's far more arrogant than what I described!" Xu Anxia scoffed, "How dare he?!"

"Young Xu Anxia!" Zheng Gongming stroked his beard and looked at him. "You're not even in his league. Why do you speak so much nonsense?!"

Xu Anxia helplessly shut his mouth.

Soon, Chen Siyu slowly walked in, followed by Luo Feng behind her.

She placed a passing glance at everyone present before taking a seat on the armchair in the middle. "What are you guys discussing?"

"Lady Chen Siyu, I want to learn some moves from Luo Feng!" He Shou stood up and proclaimed, "I've heard of the Flaming Sun Palm for a long time, I want to experience it for myself!"

Chen Siyu looked over at Luo Feng.

She glanced at him with her blinding gaze; She knew what He Shou was thinking.

Luo Feng coldly looked at He Shou. "Only you—? Come up, all of you at once!"

"How confident!" He Shou stood up and fist saluted. "You may be very famous and high in prestige Brother Luo Feng, but we're not weaklings either! I shall match you first, Brother Luo Feng!"

Luo Feng, too lazy to reply, left the armchair and stood in front of He Shou. He stretched out his hands. "Let's start!"

"It's just a friendly match. Don't go ruining relationships!" Chen Siyu exclaimed.

Both of them nodded in acknowledgment. He Shou shouted and his right fist struck out like lightning. He put all of his energy into the strike.

Luo Feng scoffed and replied with his very own fist.

His fist came out late but arrived first. It went right past He Shou's fist and gently struck his chest.

He Shou looked at Luo Feng's fist with his own eyes. He moved as slow as a snail as he looked at his chest being hit by Luo Feng. He Shou flew ten feet back and stood steadily.

He touched his chest and there was a fist print on it, but he felt nothing.

"Impressive!" Hu Hai raised his thumb.

He saw how mysterious the fist was; surprisingly fast, and the amount of strength put in it was amazing. Hu Hai would not have been able to dodge either if he were He Shou.

Experts did not need to put up an act. Once they made their move, their skills would be clear for all to see and that was proof enough. The Flaming Sun Palm indeed warranted its well-deserved reputation.

He Shou fist saluted with a bitter expression. "I'm impressed!"

Luo Feng returned to his armchair without replying to him.

Chen Siyu smiled. "Anyone else wants to test the Flaming Sun Palm?"

Hu Hai and the others shook their head.

"Very well, let's talk about proper matters now. About the Equal of the Heaven Association; they've been running quite wild these days. They do whatever they want all over the Cloud State Town as if they own it. I think it's time for a rude awakening," Chen Siyu started.

"Lady Chen Siyu, do we need to fight the Equal of Heaven Association?" Hu Hai's eyes were shining.

Chen Siyu nodded. "I'm ready to vanquish one of the Equal of Heaven's clans."

The structure of the Equal of Heaven Association was similar to the Starling Cloud Association; they had four clans in total, with one clan amounting to about a hundred people, roughly matching the size of the Startling Cloud Association. However, their capabilities were much higher.

"Amazing idea!" Hu Hai laughed. "Damn it, I've hated them for such a long time. Lady Chen Siyu, you've always held back and never attacked them!"

"Our faction wasn't powerful enough yet. How could we simply just start a fight? But now that we have Luo Feng, the time to strike has come. We shall bear the fruits of our patience!" Chen Siyu proclaimed.

"What should we do?" Hu Hai hurriedly asked.

"Lady Chen Siyu," Luo Feng interjected.

Chen Siyu turned and looked at him, she smiled.

"Luo Feng, what suggestions do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Actually, we don't have to prepare so much. We just need to kill Huang Hai," Luo Feng said in a serious tone.

"This…" Chen Siyu furrowed her brows as she muttered.

"Hmph, what a confident tone!" Xu Anxia twitched his mouth.

Luo Feng ignored Xu Anxia and continued to look at Chen Siyu instead.

"Are you sure about this? Don't you think that's too dangerous?" Chen Siyu prodded.

"Since they still don't know I have joined the Startling Cloud Association, they won't be prepared and won't attack us on sight. We can easily just charge them," Luo Feng said.

"Brother Luo Feng, is Huang Hai your friend?" asked He Shou.

Huang Hai was the Leader of the Equal of Heaven Association and had a high level of skill in martial arts. He may not have been as strong as Xu Zhichun, but it would be wise to not underestimate him. Fighting one on one was certainly not a problem for him.

Luo Feng shook his head. "No."

"Brother Luo Feng, was the assassination attempt not because of the Equal of Heaven?" He Shou asked.

"It was because of the Equal of Heaven Association, but not Huang Hai," Luo Feng answered.

"Then who was it?"

Luo Feng kept quiet and did not reply.

Everyone was shocked as they looked at each other. They had not expected it to end like this.