Chapter 646: Chapter 646: Meng Wan

Li Feng’s pressure faded completely the moment the thought settled in his mind.

This woman... was the Peach Blossom.

The oppressive force that had been crushing the auction hall vanished as if it had never existed.

The cultivators who had been forced to their knees immediately gasped and struggled to stand, spiritual energy rushing back through their meridians.

A few of the weaker ones simply collapsed where they stood, completely unconscious.

Li Feng paid none of them any attention.

His eyes remained fixed on the woman in front of him as he asked with a serious expression,

"Who are you?"

The woman hesitated for a moment before giving him a respectful bow.

"Greetings, Righteous Sword."

Her voice was still slightly nervous, but she quickly regained her composure.

"This humble one’s name is Meng Wan... I am the Matriarch of the Meng Family."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"And this Autumn Pavilion branch belongs to my family."

Hearing that, Li Feng blinked.

He looked around the ruined auction hall before turning his gaze back toward her.

"...You own this place?"

The woman slowly nodded.

"...Yes."

Li Feng’s expression became slightly confused.

If she was the Matriarch of the Meng Family and the owner of the Autumn Pavilion branch, then why had she been sitting in a VIP room and bidding for that sword?

He glanced at the sword hanging at his waist.

’Well, whatever. I’ll ask her about it later, once we’re... closer.’

A faint smile appeared in Li Feng’s heart.

’But for now... it’s time to pluck the Peach Blossom.’

Li Feng’s expression suddenly turned cold.

He looked at the woman and sneered.

"So you’re the one who colluded with those vile assassins?!"

His voice boomed through the entire auction hall, causing Meng Wan’s body to stiffen.

Sweat immediately formed on her forehead and slowly slid down her charming mature face.

She knew very well that today’s events had dealt a devastating blow to the Meng Family’s reputation.

The Autumn Pavilion was not originally founded by the Meng Family.

It was a large merchant organization with branches spread throughout the cultivation world on this continent, dealing in everything from cultivation resources and spirit treasures to rare medicines and auctioned artifacts.

The Meng Family had spent an enormous amount of resources to acquire the rights to operate the Autumn Pavilion’s Fen Dynasty branch.

In other words, the Autumn Pavilion in the Fen Dynasty was essentially a franchise owned and operated by the Meng Family.

They had paid a huge sum of spirit stones and treasures to obtain the branch rights, and in return, the Meng Family was allowed to use the Autumn Pavilion’s name, connections, and resources to conduct business throughout the dynasty.

It was an extremely profitable business.

The Autumn Pavilion’s reputation also meant that powerful cultivators were willing to bring their treasures here for auction, while merchants from various sects and clans regularly visited to purchase cultivation resources.

For the Meng Family, this branch was one of their most important sources of income and influence within the Fen Dynasty.

That was why today’s incident was such a disaster.

The assassins had not merely attacked an ordinary auction house.

They had attacked the Fen Dynasty branch of the Autumn Pavilion and, somehow, had even managed to take control of the formation protecting the entire branch.

And because the entire incident had happened under the Meng Family’s watch, their reputation had inevitably taken a massive hit.

If word spread that the Meng Family had been involved with the assassins, even indirectly, the consequences would be far more serious.

Their competitors would immediately seize the opportunity to attack them, while the various sects and clans that did business with them would begin questioning whether the Autumn Pavilion was still a safe place to conduct business.

More importantly, the Autumn Pavilion itself could revoke the Meng Family’s rights to operate the Fen Dynasty branch.

The Meng Family had only obtained the branch through a large investment of spirit stones and resources, and their cooperation with the Autumn Pavilion was based on trust and reputation.

If the Autumn Pavilion’s higher-ups believed that the Meng Family had allowed assassins to use their branch or had secretly cooperated with them, they could terminate the agreement and take the entire branch back.

For the Meng Family, losing the Autumn Pavilion would not only mean losing a major source of income.

It would also mean losing the connections and influence they had spent years building throughout the Fen Dynasty.

Meng Wan understood this better than anyone.

Which is why she absolutely could not allow Li Feng to misunderstand the situation.

After all, Li Feng was not an ordinary cultivator.

He was the Righteous Sword, a name that carried enormous weight throughout the Fen Dynasty.

If he believed that the Meng Family had colluded with the assassins and publicly accused them, his words alone could push the Meng Family into an extremely dangerous situation.

On the other hand, if she could convince him that the Meng Family was innocent, his reputation could become the very thing that helped them escape this crisis.

In a sense, Li Feng was a sword.

He could become the sword that helped the Meng Family cut their way out of this dilemma...

...Or he could become the sword that delivered the final blow to their family survival.

Meng Wan’s expression became even more nervous.

She had to be extremely careful with every word she said.

Meanwhile,

Li Feng stared at Meng Wan for a few seconds before suddenly turning around.

His gaze swept across the ruined auction hall and the cultivators who were still struggling to recover from his pressure.

He slowly raised his hand and pointed toward the crowd while keeping his eyes fixed on Meng Wan.

"Today, those vile assassins came here and tried to kill everyone!"

His expression became serious.

"Many people were injured, and some were nearly killed. Don’t you see how badly they’re hurt and how much suffering they’ve gone through?!"

Li Feng’s voice suddenly became louder.

"Since the Autumn Pavilion is under your Meng Family’s control, I want a clear answer. How were these assassins able to infiltrate this place and even take control of the formation?!"

The sound echoed through the entire auction hall.

All of the cultivators fell silent.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

They had just been terrified out of their minds by Li Feng’s pressure, and now this man was standing there demanding justice as if he had completely forgotten that half of them had nearly collapsed because of him.

For a moment, the cultivators didn’t know whether they should be angry at him for nearly crushing them with his pressure or grateful that he was actually standing up for them.

In the end, one of them could only sigh.

"...Forget it. At least we’re alive."

The cultivator beside him nodded with a wry smile.

"...That’s true."

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