Chapter 62: The Lion’s Roar

After three rounds of drinks, feeling his bloated stomach, Lin Dong stood up, satisfied. “Now that we’re full, shall we go back or keep exploring?”
Wen Wangzhong, still worried about running into Zhou Jinchi, quickly said, “Let’s go back!”
“Okay, let’s head back!” Lin Dong called to the waiter to settle the bill. Today, not only had he finally tasted the meat of a spiritual beast, but Jiang Kui’s performance had also met expectations. Though his brilliance was somewhat overshadowed by Tian Hao, he hadn’t dismissed them like the other scholars—this should give Wen Ying a better understanding of his character.
Everything that could be done had been done; from now on, it depended on Jiang Kui’s own fate.
As everyone stood up, a woman in her twenties, wearing a coarse cloth dress with a sallow complexion but still showing signs of beauty, hesitated at the entrance. She held a three- or four-year-old boy by the right hand, with a sleeping girl tied to her back with a cloth strip. After hesitating for a moment, she still pulled the boy into the hall.
Those working at Fenglin Restaurant were sharp-eyed, so the waiters immediately noticed her. Seeing her rough clothes and the patched-up clothes of the two children, they hesitated for a second before one of them stepped forward.
“Madam, would you like to go to the second floor or stay on the first?”
The woman shook her head. “I’m looking for someone.”
“Oh! May I ask whom, madam?” The waiter instinctively glanced at Jiang Kui at Lin Dong’s table in the center. In the entire hall, only that tall man who looked like a bodyguard could be the person she was looking for.
“Dad, I see Dad!”
The little boy curiously scanned the bustling hall. When his gaze fell on the center, his childish face lit up with joy. He quickly broke free from his mother and staggered over.
“Xiao Chen, run slowly,” the woman hurriedly warned.
The waiter glanced in the direction the boy was running and was convinced the woman was indeed looking for someone, as it matched his guess.
“Dad, Dad…”
In an instant, the waiter’s eyes narrowed. He rubbed them and looked again—the little boy was still pulling at the sleeve of a handsome young man. Horrified, he quickly grabbed the woman who was about to leave.
“Where did you come from, beggar? Get out quickly!”
“I’m not a beggar. I really am looking for someone,” the woman explained.
“Looking for someone?” The waiter snorted and called over another waiter. “Hurry, pull that kid out. Don’t let him disturb the guests eating.”
“I really am here to find someone,” the woman said, pointing to Zhao Fengjie, whom the boy was holding. “He’s my husband.”

“Who do you think you can fool?” the worker sneered. “Look at that young master’s clothes, then look at what you’re wearing. If you want to deceive someone, at least pick a better target.”
The woman grew anxious but couldn’t break free from the worker’s grip.
“Dad, I want to eat! I really want to eat!”
The little boy didn’t notice Zhao Fengjie’s dark expression. He tugged at his sleeve, hopping around, his dark eyes fixed on the food on the table, his little face filled with joy.
“Brother Zhao, what’s this…” Zhou Haicheng and Wang Qiuye looked at Zhao Fengjie in confusion.
Zhao Fengjie turned to glance at the door. After seeing the woman arguing with the worker, his hesitant mind became resolute.
He pushed the little boy’s hands away and snapped, “Where did you come from, brat? Get away.”
“Dad, I want to eat.” The little boy didn’t mind Zhao Fengjie’s rudeness, thinking he was just playing with him. He immediately tried to climb up his legs.
“Get down! Whose child are you?” Zhao Fengjie pulled the little boy off his lap, stood up abruptly, and shouted, “Workers, what are you doing? How can you let just anyone in?”
The workers were shocked. With a smelly beggar already causing complaints in the hall, this incident meant they might not get paid for the month.
“Dad, Mom and Xiao Yun are here too. I want to eat…” The little boy clung to Zhao Fengjie’s sleeve, shaking and crying.
“In these days, there are still people who claim to be fathers randomly?”
“The kid does look pretty good. Actually… Brother Zhao, he does resemble you a bit.”
“Brother Wang, you’re joking. I have a son and a daughter. My family isn’t wealthy, but we’re not so poor that they’d have to suffer like this.”
Zhao Fengjie forced a smile as he pushed the little boy’s hands away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the workers had reacted and were rushing over, which gave him some relief.
“True enough. Though the boy looks good, he clearly comes from a rough household.”
The two nodded repeatedly.
“That’s right!”
Zhao Fengjie sighed inwardly. Seeing the little boy lunging at him again, annoyed, he pushed him toward the nearest worker.
With a thud, the little boy fell to the ground. When the worker picked him up, he started crying loudly.
Tian Hao tried to get up, but Lin Dong held him down firmly. Though he also wanted to slap that worker, this could also be an opportunity to see if Jiang Kui had a sense of justice.
“Stop!”
Jiang Kui and Wen Ying stood up at the same time. Amid their furious roars, there was a faint, barely audible command to stop.

This furious roar was incredibly powerful, shaking the very foundations of the building. The beams trembled, cups and dishes spilled everywhere, and everyone panicked and stood up in chaos. The entire hall became a mess in an instant.

Lin Dong and his companions, who were closest to Jiang Kui, could hardly bear to witness the horrific scene.

Wen Wangzhong and his daughter collapsed to the ground upon hearing this roar. Lin Dong’s ears buzzed, and the world seemed to spin around him. It took him some time to realize that Tian Hao beside him had somehow become three people.

Tian Hao, the strongest among them, had already reached the ninth level of the Lingdong phase during his time in the Gu Huan Dynasty, yet he too was staring blankly with a dizzy head.

After a long while, Lin Dong finally regained his senses. He heard Tian Hao muttering, “If he roared using spiritual energy, half of them would die from the shock, and the other half would go deaf.”

Lin Dong was speechless. If Jiang Kui were to learn cultivation, there would be no need to learn any spiritual techniques—his natural lion’s roar was enough!

Scanning the hall, he saw that none of the others, like him and Tian Hao, had cultivated spiritual energy. They still stood there, dazed with blank eyes. Even those at the farthest edges were covering their ears in confusion.

“Umm…”

Jiang Kui helped the little boy up, wanting to ask if he was hurt, but suddenly remembered his own loud voice. His face turned red as he managed to suppress the words he wanted to say.

Lin Dong suddenly realized there was still important work to do. He quickly shook the unconscious Wen Wangzhong and his daughter awake.

“What a loud voice…”

The father and daughter rubbed their chests vigorously while staring at Jiang Kui, who was brushing dust off the little boy’s body, still feeling shaken.

Lin Dong smiled bitterly. Jiang Kui’s sense of justice had passed the test, but it seemed he hadn’t accounted for Jiang Kui’s loud voice. Judging from their expressions, things might have backfired…

Taking advantage of the waiter’s daze, the woman broke free from her restraints. She supported her daughter, who had woken up and was crying loudly, on her back, and rushed to the little boy’s side. After hesitating for a moment, she thanked Jiang Kui before snatching the little boy from his arms and holding him tightly.

“Xiao Chen, is anything hurt?”

“Mom, Dad won’t give me any treats,” the little boy sobbed.

Just as he woke up, he saw the woman crouching beside him. Zhao Fengjie, furious and ashamed, shouted, “Who’s your dad? Get lost, all of you!”

“Zhao Fengjie, how could you do this?” The woman trembled with anger. “I always thought you were just proud, but you actually refuse to acknowledge us three just for pride.”

“Brother Zhao, what’s going on? How does she know your name?” Zhou Haicheng and the others looked deeply puzzled.

“Who doesn’t know where she heard my name? Could Brother Zhou and Brother Wang really believe her nonsense?” Zhao Fengjie forced a smile, walked up to the mother and children, stared intently at the woman, and said through gritted teeth, “Speak! Why did you pretend to be my wife and children?”
“I… I…”
Facing that terrifying gaze, the woman dared not look back. After struggling for a while, she lowered her head in despair.
“I… My husband took all my half-year’s salary from the tailor shop. We had no money to buy rice, so I tried to extort money from you.”
“Did you hear that? Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, did you hear that?” Zhao Fengjie let out a long sigh and glared at the worker beside him, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and throw them out!”
The workers nodded repeatedly and carried the crying mother and children outside.
Lin Dong frowned. If these three really wanted to extort money, they would have persisted stubbornly.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Too lazy to call another worker to settle the bill, Lin Dong took out two silver ingots, placed them on the table, and stood up.
“Come on, it’s just a female swindler. She deserves to starve to death. Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, let’s continue! We won’t leave until we’re drunk!”
As the workers carried the mother and children outside, Zhao Fengjie picked up his wine cup, his expression once again full of arrogance.
“I can’t kill you with wine!”
Lin Dong had originally planned to wait to confirm the identity of the mother and children before taking action. Hearing this, he became furious, grabbed the table behind him, and swung it at Zhao Fengjie’s head.