Lin Feng looked around and waited for a few breaths. Absolute silence filled the area.

Everyone was still struggling to process what had just happened.

A moment ago, Pill Master Gao Shan and his followers had stood at the center of attention, acting as though they controlled the situation. Now they were gone without a trace.

Lin Feng had dealt with them as casually as one might brush away a few ants. No one dared to speak. No one dared to move. The crowd stared at him with a mixture of fear, awe, and disbelief.

"So," Lin Feng said with a smile, "does anybody else want to stop me?" His gaze swept across the crowd.

"If you do, come up together. It’ll save me the trouble of sending you on your way one at a time."

The silence that followed was so complete that even a falling leaf would have sounded like thunder. People exchanged nervous glances. Some lowered their heads.

Others intentionally stepped backward. A few even prayed that Lin Feng’s attention would not land on them.

Moments ago, many had been eager to question him, challenge him, or accuse him. Now none of them possessed the courage. After all, courage was one thing. Suicide was another.

"I thought so." Lin Feng shrugged. With that, he turned and began walking away. His women quickly followed after him.

Each of them had their own thoughts regarding what had just happened.

"I still can’t believe Lin Feng can actually hurt people," Ning Xi said innocently.

Ye Jian couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

"This is a cruel and heartless world. Killing is considered normal here."

"Murder is bad," Mrs. Fox murmured softly. The others nodded in agreement. At that moment, Xiao Qingxue spoke up.

"No, that’s not what happened." Everyone looked at her. As a cultivator at the peak of the Spirit Severing Realm, her eyesight and perception were far superior to theirs.

"Lin Feng didn’t kill those people."

"What?"

The women stared at her in shock.

"He didn’t?" Ning Xi asked.

Xiao Qingxue shook her head.

"I saw part of it. He simply took them away somewhere. I couldn’t tell where, but they definitely weren’t killed."

The women immediately turned toward Lin Feng. They clearly wanted an explanation. Feeling their gazes on his back, Lin Feng stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Of course." He sounded genuinely surprised by the accusation.

"Murder is such a barbaric thing."

He placed a hand over his chest.

"And I’m not a barbarian, am I?"

The women stared at him. Lin Feng stared back. For a few moments, nobody said anything. Then Mrs. Fox burst into laughter. Soon the others joined in.

Whether they fully believed him or not was another matter entirely. Lin Feng simply smiled and continued walking. A short while later, they arrived at one of the largest restaurants in the city.

The fragrant aroma of freshly prepared food drifted through the air.

Instantly, all thoughts about Pill Master Gao Shan and the earlier confrontation vanished from everyone’s minds.

"Food!"

Ning Xi’s eyes lit up.

"Food," Lin Feng agreed solemnly.

In his opinion, delicious food was far more important than discussing the fate of a few troublemakers. The group quickly entered the restaurant and occupied several tables.

Soon, dish after dish arrived. The atmosphere became lively once more as laughter and conversation filled the room.

Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Pill Master Gao Shan and his followers were undoubtedly questioning every decision that had led them to cross paths with Lin Feng.

Lin Feng enjoyed his meal for another thirty minutes before an old man entered the restaurant. The moment he stepped through the doors, the atmosphere changed.

Conversations died down. The laughter that had filled the restaurant disappeared. One by one, people turned their heads toward the newcomer. At first glance, he appeared ordinary.

He wore simple robes without any extravagant decorations.

His white hair was neatly tied behind his back, and his aged face made him resemble nothing more than a kind grandfather enjoying his retirement.

Yet nobody present dared underestimate him. The aura radiating from his body was simply too terrifying.

Even without intentionally releasing his cultivation, it felt as though power was leaking from every pore of his body. Many cultivators lowered their heads instinctively.

Others held their breath. The old man ignored everyone else. His sharp eyes immediately landed on Lin Feng. Contained fury flickered within them.

However, the longer he observed Lin Feng, the deeper his confusion became. He could not see through him. No matter how carefully he examined the young man, everything seemed wrong.

It was as though a veil covered Lin Feng’s entire existence.

’A disguise technique?’ The old man’s eyes narrowed.

’No... something even more profound.’ If he were an ordinary cultivator, he would have noticed nothing at all. Fortunately, he was not an ordinary cultivator.

His profession had required him to cultivate his soul power for countless years. As a grand pill master, precise control over one’s spiritual senses was essential.

His soul power far exceeded that of most cultivators at the same realm. Many people would gladly kneel and beg to become his disciple solely because of his accomplishments in alchemy.

Confident in his abilities, the old man silently circulated his soul power. Invisible divine energy gathered within his eyes. He stared directly at Lin Feng.

Slowly, layer after layer of illusion began to peel away. Then he finally succeeded. For a brief moment, he saw through the disguise. The old man’s pupils contracted violently.

His heart skipped a beat. Shock flooded his face.

’Impossible!’ The person before him was far younger than he had imagined. More importantly, the face hidden beneath the illusion was absurdly handsome, almost unreal.

Before the old man could process what he had seen, Lin Feng suddenly raised his head. Their eyes met.

"Have you seen enough?" Lin Feng’s voice was calm. Yet to the old man, it sounded like a clap of heavenly thunder. The next moment, an unimaginably vast soul pressure descended upon him.

Boom!