Shen Feng's words immediately drew gasps from the crowd. Who was Su Shi? Anyone who had received nine years of compulsory education should know. If there was one literary figure from the Song Dynasty who was most famous, it would undoubtedly be Su Shi. After all, he was one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, so his writings naturally possessed a high level of skill. He was also a calligrapher, painter, poet, and lyricist. Even if one didn't know his name, they should at least know about Dongpo Pork, which he invented. The calligraphy left behind by such a legendary figure was truly priceless.
Upon hearing Shen Feng's words, Li Zhenli became excited. She looked at the long, narrow box beside her, rubbed her hands together with anticipation, and then opened the sandalwood box. Only then did she realize that the entire box was made of rosewood. Without thousands of grams of gold, one could not afford such a box.
"Then I won't be polite!" Seeing the scroll, Li Zhenli couldn't help but pick it up. Fearing she might damage it, she cleared a space on the table and slowly laid the scroll down. She then gently unrolled it. Although she had never seen Su Dongpo's authentic work before, the calligraphy on the scroll was vigorous and powerful, exuding a commanding presence at first glance.
"This was previously a treasure kept in the imperial palace. Later, it was sold off by Puyi and fell into the hands of the Japanese. I finally brought it back!" Shen Feng said calmly.
Li Zhenli excitedly watched the scroll being unrolled and couldn't help but read aloud: "Ten years of life and death, vast and boundless; without dwelling on it, it is hard to forget. A thousand miles of lonely graves, with nowhere to speak of desolation. Even if we met, you would not recognize me, your face full of dust, your temples like frost. Last night, in a dream, I suddenly returned home; by the small window, you were combing your hair. We looked at each other without words, only tears flowing like a thousand streams. I expect the place where my heart breaks year after year is on a moonlit night, on a lonely grave mound!"
Continuing to unroll the scroll, she found a large collection of seals from scholars and artists, including many famous figures. Even Qianlong had left many of his seals, and the small, elegant commentary written in various scripts was utterly captivating.
Li Zhenli was completely mesmerized by Su Dongpo's authentic work before her, becoming so engrossed that she paid little attention to her surroundings.
When the other attendees saw this scene, they were filled with jealousy. They had already been meticulously planning for their sons to show off and gain the young lady's attention. Now, all that attention had been stolen by a stranger, how could they not resent it?
"Forty-one, forty-two!" At this moment, a sixteen-year-old youth was strenuously lifting a barbell in the center of the hall. He was unmarried and not engaged, and among the young people present, his strength was the greatest. He believed that he had won this test of physical strength.
"That's enough, son! You're just trying to catch the eye of someone who can't see. Stop now!" His mother sighed and said.
The youth slowly lowered the barbell. Having exercised for a while, he felt hot all over. He looked into the distance and saw that the young lady was in a corner, engrossed in looking at a painting and calligraphy. He immediately became enraged, thinking, "Good heavens, you've stolen all my thunder!"
The youth thought for a moment that he had to regain his standing. Not being valued by the young lady was a minor issue, but he had performed for nothing, and no one paid attention. It was like being a monkey performing in a zoo. If he did nothing, he would truly become a laughingstock!
"You like calligraphy, don't you? I don't care what you're looking at! Disappear now!" The youth devised a plan. He poured a glass of beverage from the side, a carbonated drink at that. This stuff could ruin paper.
He slowly approached the corner, shaking the wine glass as he walked. Although a wine glass and cola didn't match at all, it no longer mattered, because the cola wasn't meant for drinking.
As the youth slowly approached the corner, he said, "What treasure is it? Young lady, let me have a look too!"
However, just then, the youth suddenly slipped, exclaiming, "Ouch!" The wine glass in his hand flew out, and the cola within it splashed out directly.
Seeing this, everyone exclaimed in shock. This child was too careless! Was such a precious treasure about to be ruined?
Li Zhenli hadn't expected this at all. When she turned around, she saw the scene, and it was too late for her to react.
"Whoosh," suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the spilled cola was instantly scattered into droplets, which then flew back.
"Splash," the youth was splashed all over with cola, making it difficult for him to even open his eyes.
Shen Feng slowly stood up and said to Li Zhenli, "You should put away the scroll first. Hold these two boxes carefully and don't let them get damaged! As for me, I might have to teach this child a lesson!"
No one present noticed that Shen Feng had made a move. They all thought it was a sudden gust of wind from outside that had blown away the cola. Then, the masked individual in the corner was about to make a move, and they immediately became tense.
"Kid, you've got a lot of nerve, trying to ruin my treasure. Looks like your grades aren't very good!" Shen Feng said with a cold smile.
"How do you know about my grades? Besides, I didn't do it on purpose. Don't make baseless accusations!" the youth retorted stubbornly.
Shen Feng shook his head and said lightly, "Because your family doesn't hire a tutor, your grades aren't very good!"
This statement immediately angered the youth's parents. A man and a woman immediately stepped forward, adorned with a pound of gold and silver jewelry! Pointing at Shen Feng, they loudly questioned, "Who is this scoundrel, insulting us!"
"No tutor" was a double entendre, referring to both not hiring a private tutor and lacking upbringing. In this context, Shen Feng meant that the youth lacked upbringing, effectively dismissing the entire family who had splashed cola as crude country folk.
After Shen Feng said this, it indeed provoked the dissatisfaction of the youth's family. This wasn't just criticizing the child; it was directly scolding the parents. If the parents didn't step forward now, they would lose face in front of everyone.
Seeing the youth's parents step forward to accuse him, Shen Feng's face showed a mocking expression. He then said, "As expected, from dragon comes dragon, from phoenix comes phoenix, and from rat comes hole-digging. A scoundrel son comes from scoundrel parents. I've learned that being unreasonable is hereditary!"
Shen Feng hadn't intended to escalate the situation too much; he just wanted to teach these people a lesson. But now, Shen Feng was truly angry. He had brought back something from Japan after crossing the ocean, a precious piece of calligraphy. Yet, a mere youth wanted to destroy his treasure. Hmph, he was so accustomed to being arrogant that he dared to provoke anyone.
"You little brat, you're looking for death!" Perhaps Shen Feng's words had struck a nerve with the parents, enraging the family. The man swung his fist and charged forward, preparing to teach Shen Feng a lesson. The woman, meanwhile, secretly grabbed a beer bottle from the side, looking ready to strike at any moment.
"Bang," Shen Feng stood his ground. As the man approached, he instantly moved, dodged the man's punch, and then threw a punch of his own. "Crack," Shen Feng's punch landed on the man's lower ribs, knocking him to the ground. Five or six ribs were broken on the spot.
"Failing to discipline your child is a crime!" Shen Feng said coldly. He then stomped on the fallen man. "Crack, crack, crack..." The man's chest and abdomen caved in. He spat blood on the spot, with broken bones piercing his heart. Moments later, the man fell dead.
"You dare kill my husband? You die too!" Seeing her husband killed in the blink of an eye, the woman's eyes turned red. Wielding the beer bottle, she lunged at Shen Feng, ready to fight him to the death. As the saying goes, father and son fight together. The youth who had splashed cola also rushed forward instantly, clearly intending to avenge his father!
"You refuse to repent, you deserve to die!" Shen Feng sneered. Facing the charging mother and son, he showed no fear, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.
Shen Feng could now see that this entire family was unreasonable and only sought to take advantage. They made mistakes but refused to be told, and even wanted to silence others. With such people in Wanzhou, the common folk were truly suffering.
At the banquet hosted by the Wanzhou City Lord, this family dared to act so arrogantly. One could only imagine how terrifying their behavior was in daily life. Shen Feng decided not to hold back any longer.
The first to charge was a frenzied woman, her eyes red, holding a beer bottle and smashing it down towards Shen Feng's head. Her movements were large, clearly intending to kill Shen Feng.
"Shatter," Shen Feng punched the beer bottle, shattering it. At the same time, he grabbed a shard of green glass and hurled it with all his might. The sharp glass shard pierced the woman's throat, blood gushing out, and the woman instantly fell.
The youth reached Shen Feng at this moment. With his parents falling one after another, his anger was ignited, though mixed with deep fear. After charging forward, he swung his fists, preparing to attack.
"Bang," Shen Feng kicked out, and the youth flew back even faster, finally landing directly in the center of the stage, smashing a hole in it.
At this, Shen Feng surveyed the crowd in the center of the banquet and shouted loudly, "Who else! If you're not satisfied, stand up!"
Shen Feng's actions took only a few dozen seconds, but he had killed three people with his bare hands. This immediately shocked everyone present. The banquet attendees included many third-tier evolutionary beings, but even they couldn't see how Shen Feng moved. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
In an instant, the attendees of the banquet immediately retreated, distancing themselves from this demon. They had never expected that the country bumpkin who had been sitting quietly in the corner would possess such power!
"Mr. Shen, Mr. Shen, this is the young lady's birthday banquet. Doing this will make things very difficult for us!" Butler Li Mo rushed forward. Seeing that the banquet was developing in an uncontrollable direction, he quickly stepped forward to beg for mercy.
"Difficult? Then don't hold it!" Shen Feng grabbed a table and flipped it over, his arrogant demeanor fully displayed.
Then, Shen Feng looked at the crowd at the banquet and said with a cold smile, "You probably all think you're so-called upper-class people, right? Unfortunately, in my eyes, you're not worth a damn. Now, I'll give you a chance. Those who want to kill me, come at me together!"
Li Mo, seeing the situation had reached this point, was so anxious he didn't know what to do. With a worried frown, he paced back and forth in the hall.
As the crowd watched Shen Feng approach step by step, they could only retreat silently. Both adults and children were stunned, with no other option but to flee.
"Why have you suddenly become so timid? This shouldn't be the case! Weren't you all mocking me just now? Stand up, is there no one with any backbone!" Shen Feng questioned loudly.
However, no one dared to stand up and resist. Their tone instantly softened: "We were just joking earlier. We failed to recognize your true worth!"
"Yes, yes, we were blind. Please spare us this time!"
A smile appeared on Shen Feng's lips, though it was tinged with mockery. "Hmph, is it too late to beg for mercy now? The bad things you've done not only offend me but also others!"
After speaking, Shen Feng pointed to the various delicacies at the banquet and said, "You have ample funds to enjoy yourselves, throwing a lavish banquet for a little girl's birthday, yet you don't spare a bowl of thin porridge to help the weak and elderly. Moreover, you are arrogant and look down on the poor, even killing them at will. These are your sins!"