Chapter 4576 — Truly Unafraid to Die?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Yet Qiao Hongcai's reaction left him utterly disappointed. No matter how unbearable the agony surging from his fingers, the man did not so much as let out a single cry of pain—he simply stared coldly at Ma Dangfeng.
Lu Bianren and the others instantly broke their formation and closed in, sealing Ma Dangfeng firmly in the center. Had Qiao Hongcai not been pinned beneath his foot—forcing them to hold back for fear of hitting their own—they would already have struck. As fellow members of Wei Zhao's faction, they shared one fate, glory and ruin alike; they would never stand by and watch Qiao Hongcai be killed without lifting a finger.
"Well, well—didn't expect a tough one. Now this is interesting!" Ma Dangfeng paid no heed at all to Lu Bianren and the others glaring at him like tigers eyeing their prey. Fixing Qiao Hongcai with the look of a cat toying with a mouse, he gazed down at him with keen amusement and said, "I'm not really the bloodthirsty sort. If you smarten up now, bow your head, admit your mistake, and sincerely call me 'Grandpa' a few times, maybe I'll be in a good mood and spare your miserable life—so no one can say I never gave a fellow disciple a chance. What do you say? I'll count to three. Miss this chance and you have only yourself to blame!"
"Call you Grandpa? What's this—sounds like you're planning to marry into the Qiao family? Hahaha! What a pity—our Qiao family's threshold is far too high. We've only ever taken in men, never dogs. Afraid you won't get the chance!" Qiao Hongcai laughed heartily, not taking the threat to heart in the slightest. With his bullheaded, hot-blooded nature, it would have been a true wonder if such threats from Ma Dangfeng had frightened him.
"One!" Ma Dangfeng's expression turned cold. He ground his foot down harder, too impatient to trade more words with Qiao Hongcai, and began the count at once.
Lu Bianren and the others felt their hearts tighten, killing intent flaring from each of them. If they let Qiao Hongcai die at this man's hands right before their eyes, how could they ever face Wei Zhao again?
At that moment, one thought filled every mind: to hell with this so-called King of Newcomers—if he dared to kill Qiao Hongcai, even at the cost of severe punishment from the Azure Cloud Pavilion, they would strike this bastard down on the spot!
"Two!" Ma Dangfeng continued counting, casting a contemptuous glance at the group bristling with killing intent, the mockery in his eyes plain for all to see. Strictly speaking, none of those present were weak among the Azure Cloud Pavilion's disciples—but to think such strength could stand against him, Ma Dangfeng, was nothing short of a fool's dream.
If they dared to attack him, he would not mind killing a few more today. Might as well be thorough—wipe out Wei Zhao's entire faction and be done with it. Then let us see who would still dare say he was inferior to Wei Zhao!
"Three! There, I've counted for you. If you're going to kill me, get on with it—stop dawdling and dithering here, you're giving me a headache!" Qiao Hongcai curled his lip in disdain.
He was pinned beneath the other's foot now; resistance was beyond him. Another man might well have been cowed by Ma Dangfeng—but Qiao Hongcai had never known how to write the word "death." At worst, it was just dying. What was there to fear?!
"Hmph. Truly unafraid to die? Then I'll grant you your wish!" Killing intent condensed in Ma Dangfeng's eyes, and he was about to strike the fatal blow. Qiao Hongcai's life was in his grasp now—whether he lived or died rested entirely on a single thought, without so much as lifting a finger. One burst of true qi, and he would be dead beyond any doubt.
"You dare!" The shout came not from Qiao Hongcai but from Lu Bianren, the Bitter Senior Brother, Xiao Che, and Li Zhengming in unison. However much they feared hitting their own, matters had come to this—they had no choice but to act.