Chapter 4597 — A Provocation
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Lu Bianren froze for a moment. He had already noticed that arrogant bully Ma Dangfeng a while ago, and had deliberately steered clear of him simply to avoid trouble—only to have this creature call him to a halt all the same.
He would have liked nothing better than to ignore the man, but he had no intention of letting his momentum falter before this bastard. Besides, the fellow had deliberately named him aloud in that humiliating fashion, with all those Azure Cloud Pavilion disciples passing to and fro watching; to play the deaf-mute and slink off like a turtle retreating into its shell would be beneath contempt.
He turned around and regarded Ma Dangfeng with a placid expression, his face as smooth as an old well unstirred by any ripple, betraying not the faintest trace of anger or pleasure. Even bystanders with no stake in the matter could not help but marvel: this Lu Bianren was indeed a mild and cultivated gentleman, a man of measured temper.
Yet in Ma Dangfeng's eyes, this display was nothing but cut-and-dried cowardice. He curled his lip in disdain and said, "Where's that precious Wei Zhao of yours? Has he come back from the dead yet? When he does, tell him to come see me at once!"
"No." Lu Bianren's tone remained as calm as an old well. He knew that in a clash with this Ma Dangfeng, his own strength would only leave him at a disadvantage; since he plainly could not afford to provoke the man, he must not let fury cloud his judgment—otherwise he would only make things worse.
"No? Damn it, still no? How long has he been gone now, and he's still not back?" Ma Dangfeng knitted his brows and drew the words out in cold mockery: "Ohh... don't tell me he got wind that I mean to make trouble for him, and knowing full well his own strength falls short, got so scared of dying at my hands that he's turned into a turtle and doesn't dare come back? Hahahaha!"
Lu Bianren's expression shifted ever so slightly. He did not care how Ma Dangfeng mocked him—none of it need weigh on his mind at all. But to have the man so brazenly make a fool of Wei Zhao right in front of him, that he could not let pass unruffled.
After all, Wei Zhao was not merely his friend; he owed the man his life. To stand by at such a moment would be an act of faithlessness—and there was nothing Lu Bianren could endure, save deeds devoid of fellow-feeling and honor.
"Junior Brother Lin is a genius disciple acknowledged by all, and even Pavilion Master Shangguan of the Skyward Pavilion speaks highly of him. Before you have faced and defeated him in person, I would advise Your Excellency to think before you speak—otherwise what you insult is not only Junior Brother Lin, but Pavilion Master Shangguan as well!" said Lu Bianren, his face darkening.
"Oh? Looks like I've stepped on a raw nerve. Tsk tsk. And here I thought a coward like you would never stiffen his spine in his whole life!" Ma Dangfeng only grew more excited. In a flash he darted up to Lu Bianren and seized him by the throat. "You say I insulted Pavilion Master Shangguan? Fine, then tell me just what I insulted him over—over his poor judgment in people, mistaking a piece of trash for a genius?"
It would have been better had no one brought up Shangguan Tianxia at all, for the moment someone did, Ma Dangfeng was certain to bristle as though a scar had been torn open before his very face. He too had been a dazzling new king at the inner sect grand tournament, yet Shangguan Tianxia had favored only that damned Wei Zhao, and looked right past him—a Nascent Soul newcomer of greater strength. Was the old brute's head full of water or what!
Ma Dangfeng had been in a foul mood to begin with today; the real reason he had gone out of his way to call Lu Bianren to a halt was simply to seize the chance to pick a quarrel and vent some nameless wrath. Now that Lu Bianren had jabbed him straight in the scar, a man of his temper could hardly be expected not to erupt on the spot.