Xiǎo Bāo extended the bottle of alcohol with both hands, offering it up. "Here you go, Second Young Master. It's the best alcohol I could find!" she said, her voice trembling slightly as she hoped it would appease him.
"I see… I see…" Feng Shen muttered, taking the bottle. He inspected it closely, noticing the spiritual herbs mixed inside, ones commonly used for body cultivation; enhancing physique.
However, a flicker of disappointment crossed his face. Compared to the rarer, more potent alcohol he had tasted before, this seemed rather ordinary.
Seeing the Second Young Master's expression, Xiǎo Bāo felt her blood run cold. Her face paled even further, and panic welled up inside her.
'Shit, shit, shit, shit, please don't kill me!'
Xiǎo Bāo was on the verge of throwing herself to the ground in desperation, ready to beg for forgiveness. The thought that she couldn't find anything better gnawed at her.
Shrugging his shoulders, Feng Shen dismissed the matter. He knew he'd have to tolerate such low-quality alcohol for now.
'Meh, alcohol is still alcohol.'
Without a second thought, Feng Shen uncapped the bottle and began drinking, downing the entire bottle in one go, leaving nothing behind.
"Ah~ that was terrible," Feng Shen said, wiping his mouth in clear disgust.
Finally, his gaze settled on his father. "So, what brings you here, old man?" His tone was casual, almost dismissive.
The lack of respect was clear—Feng Shen couldn't care less about the man standing before him. Calling him "old man" instead of "father" or any formal title only emphasized the disdain he held.
Being spoken to; Feng Yuanyun snapped out of his thoughts, and a giant smile spread across his face.
Witnessing his second son's behavior and the gruesome scene before him, a sense of twisted pride began to well up inside him.
"My boy, you've finally grown a spine! Ahahaha!" Feng Yuanyun bellowed, slapping his chest. His heavy laughter resounded through the room.
"Huh…?" Xiǎo Bāo's mouth nearly fell open as her head snapped toward the Patriarch. She stood frozen, disbelief washing over her face.
Instead of condemning the Second Young Master for his atrocities, the Patriarch was congratulating him—something she never thought possible.
Then it hit her: this was the man standing next to her, a cruel figure who viewed crippling people as a mercy rather than a death sentence.
The Patriarch held a steadfast belief that only the strong had the right to speak, while the weak should remain silent and submit.
This doctrine was ingrained in his mind by the ancestor of the Feng family ever since he was a mere boy.
Feng Yuanyun had longed to instill his beliefs in his sons, but they had never embraced his extreme views, a fact that greatly displeased him.
However, it appeared that his second son had finally experienced a change of heart.
And so, as Feng Yuanyun was beyond pleased.
The same could not be said for Feng Shen's personal maidservant.
The weight of reality pressed down on Xiǎo Bāo, and her stomach churned at the thought.
She found herself trapped between two madmen, already regretting her adoption into this family.
But then Xiǎo Bāo's thoughts drifted to the handsome face of her crush.
'I want to go back to the First Young Master…' She thought to herself, biting her handkerchief.
As Feng Yuanyun's laughter subsided, his eyes narrowed with intrigue as he noticed a faint glow of Qi enveloping the chopsticks.
He turned his attention to his second son and asked, "You… how did you unblock your meridians?"
This feat was unheard of in the Upper Realm, as only cultivators in the Immortal Realm and beyond could achieve such a breakthrough.
After all, they lacked the high-quality herbs or resources necessary to truly open one's meridians.
Feng Shen sighed, wanting to ignore his father and simply walk out. However, he knew that winning this man's favor could secure him access to the resources he needed.
Just because he was insane didn't mean he would make an enemy of someone who could benefit him; however, the moment someone ceased to be of use, he wouldn't hesitate to kill.
So, waving his finger dismissively, Feng Shen replied, "My meridians aren't unblocked; I just forced them open for a few seconds to have a little fun. I still need more time to fully unblock them."
Hence why he had gotten dressed and cleaned his face, Feng Shen planned to head to the Alchemy Pavilion to create a pill that would fully unblock his meridians.
For him, forcibly opening his meridians and fully unblocking them was a piece of cake, but he could understand his father's astonishment.
Tears suddenly streamed down Feng Yuanyun's face as his smile widened even further; his second son had turned out to be a true genius!
"You and your older brother are truly the pride of our Feng family! I can't wait to see the looks on all the elders' faces when they realize that the Coward of the Feng family has finally spread his wings!"
Feng Shen couldn't care less about the opinions of others, especially the elders; however, he did feel a wave of disgust at being compared to such a weak man.
His thoughts drifted to his older brother, who, despite being one of the Three Geniuses in the younger generation of the Crane Empire, was someone he could easily defeat now with just basic martial arts.
Even though Feng Shen had yet to start cultivating or learn any techniques, martial arts, or even begin body or mind cultivation, along with countless other things he could pursue.
His killer instincts and soul strength (or spiritual strength), and also mental resistance alone, were enough to surpass the entire younger generation.
Of course, Feng Shen knew his forbidden bloodline, which granted him regeneration, would play a significant role as well, allowing him to simply just tank their attacks.
Tank = OP.
"I appreciate the praise; however, I must head to the Alchemy Pavilion to unblock my meridians. Now, if you'll excuse me."
Without waiting for a response from his father, who looked like he was about to explode with joy, Feng Shen tossed the bottle onto his bed.
He then grabbed a black fan from a shelf and walked out with one hand behind his back and the other holding it.