The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 225. Justice Served

Liu Feng’s consciousness slowly stirred, and he groggily opened his eyes. It took him only a moment to realize he was bound tightly by thick vines, his arms and legs held firmly in place.

Panic surged through him. He tried to scream, but his mouth was gagged by the same strange vines. His muffled cries echoed weakly in the dim room.

Then his gaze fell on the masked figure standing before him—a dark, foreboding presence that sent a chill down his spine. He knew this man meant business, and terror welled up inside him.

"What... what do you want from me?" Liu Feng managed to communicate through sound transmission, his voice trembling.

The masked man tilted his head slightly, his expression hidden but his eyes sharp and cold beneath the shadows of the mask.

Tyler’s voice, distorted to a low, metallic tone, cut through the silence. "Young Master Liu Feng, it seems you have quite the fondness for women," he said, his words laced with a biting edge.

Liu Feng’s heart hammered in his chest, and his mind raced. "A-are you here for revenge?" he stammered through the sound transmission. "Whose husband are you?"

Beneath the mask, Tyler’s mouth twitched in a mixture of anger and disbelief. This guy... how many lives has he ruined without even remembering them? he thought, disgust flooding his mind. But he didn’t let his anger slip; instead, his gaze hardened.

"Enough talk." Tyler’s eyes glowed faintly as he activated his power. Brain Freeze. Instantly, a searing pain shot through Liu Feng’s mind, as though an Icicles had clamped down on his skull. He groaned, writhing as much as he could in his bonds, but the pain was relentless, stabbing through every corner of his consciousness.

"Finally, some peace and quiet," Tyler muttered aloud, observing Liu Feng’s now-silent form. He reached into his storage device and pulled out a small glass flask. It held a pale, shimmering liquid, almost luminous in the dim light.

"This is Moonlight Healing Potion," he said, his voice calm and cold. "You’ve probably heard of it. The famous potion that can regrow limbs and restore flesh... a miracle for most people." Tyler let the implication hang in the air. He then placed it in his copper pot.

"But first... let’s take care of a little business." Tyler pulled out a gleaming pair of scissors and leveled his gaze on Liu Feng’s shaking form.

He moved closer, his eyes narrowing in disgust as he looked down at Liu Feng, bound and helpless. "This disgusting thing is just hanging there in the air. I don’t like it," Tyler said, his voice laced with venom as he raised the scissors.

Snip.

A silent scream of agony erupted in Liu Feng’s 3rd leg as Tyler cut off the source of his crimes. His face contorted in sheer, unbearable pain, his eyes bulging as tears streamed down his cheeks. The vines muffled his cries, but his eyes conveyed all the horror and suffering he could not voice.

"Don’t worry," Tyler continued, holding up the flask. "I’ve got just the thing to fix you right up." He poured a few drops of the Moonlight Healing Potion onto the wound, and the flesh began to regenerate, mending itself quickly but leaving behind raw, throbbing pain.

Tyler waited only a moment before lifting the scissors again. "Round two."

Liu Feng’s eyes widened in pure terror, and he shook his head furiously, his whole body quivering. But Tyler’s hand was steady.

Snip.

Another wave of agony crashed over Liu Feng as Tyler made the cut once more. His mind reeled from the trauma, and his vision blurred. Each cut was followed by the taunting hope of healing, only for the cycle to begin again. The Moonlight Healing Potion repaired his injuries but could not erase the memories of pain seared into his mind. The physical wounds were healed, but his spirit and sanity were fraying with each cut.

10 minutes later...

At that moment, the concealment array Tyler had set up around the room flickered and deactivated. The door creaked open, and Veronica stepped inside with Moeko. Both women froze upon seeing the figure kneeling on the ground, staring up with soulless eyes, his body trembling and his face a twisted mask of despair.

Veronica’s breath hitched as the scene hit her. The image of Moeko sitting in quiet anguish flashed through her mind, and a pang of satisfaction surged through her. For a brief moment, she felt vindicated seeing Liu Feng’s spirit crushed like he had crushed Moeko’s.

Then a faint smell drifted through the air, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Is that... burning?" she murmured, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

Tyler glanced around and muttered, "Ah, thought I cleared everything." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just some trash that had to go up in smoke. Nothing important."

"What’s next?" Veronica asked.

"We have to save the innocent Gardener." Tyler said.

"How?" She asked.

"Do you have anything that can mute him for a while?" Tyler instead asked another question.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

The next day arrived swiftly-the day of the gardener’s scheduled execution. Crowds gathered in the town square, where a gallows loomed over the crowd, casting a dark shadow on the cobbled stones below. The air was tense yet tinged with anticipation. At the front of the crowd stood Chief Liu Long, projecting a sense of authority as he addressed the townsfolk.

"Welcome, my people!" Liu Long boomed, his voice carrying across the square. "Today, we are here to uphold justice. Justice prevails over all!" He continued his grandiose speech, each word dripping with self-righteousness.

In the crowd, Veronica stood quietly, her eyes scanning the faces around her. She was searching for any sign of the masked man, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious masked man.

But Tyler is in his young form blending seamlessly with the crowd. She had no way of connecting him to the masked figure who had helped her seek vengeance the night before.

Tyler noticed Veronica and glanced at her figure. The beautiful curved -- The shape of her body was identical to that of the mysterious woman from the night before. He was now certain that Veronica was indeed the same woman he had encountered.

"She really needs to learn disguise." Tyler sighed.

Unbeknownst to Tyler, however, a ghostly figure-a mere silhouette of a girl-hovered close by, her gaze fixed upon him, her ethereal form unnoticed by the living.

The tension in the square mounted as officers dragged a man toward the gallows. His face was covered, and he struggled against their grip, his movements frantic, desperate.

Liu Long’s gaze sharpened, and with a quick, dismissive gesture, he approached the restrained man.

Slap

He slapped the man.

"Why are you struggling?" Liu Long sneered before turning back to the crowd. "Execute the culprit!" he commanded, his voice slicing through the air. The crowd erupted into cheers, hungry for justice, or at least the appearance of it.

The officers dragged the man forward, forcing him onto the gallows despite his frantic resistance. The executioner, who had been leisurely drinking from a flask nearby, quickly downed the remaining contents, donned a black mask, and took his position beside the condemned man. He looped the noose around the man’s neck, tightening it as the man struggled.

"If you have any last words," the executioner announced, his voice gruff and indifferent, "now’s your chance."

"Mmmm... hmmm..." the man attempted to speak, but only muffled sounds emerged from his mouth. The executioner observed him with disinterest, shrugging. "Looks like they cut his tongue," he muttered, before moving to the lever.

Just as he was about to pull it, Veronica, who had been murmuring under her breath, finished a quiet incantation. Vines sprouted from within the man’s mask, tearing it away in a sudden burst, exposing his face. Gasps rippled through the crowd as the man’s identity was revealed.

"Father! Help me... it’s me!" Liu Feng’s voice rang out in desperation, his eyes wide and pleading as he stared at Chief Liu Long.

The crowd fell into stunned silence, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Liu Long’s face twisted from shock to horror. His smug expression vanished as he realized the man on the gallows was his own son. In a panic, he surged forward, attempting to reach him, but a barrier of protective arrays on Liu Feng’s body lit up preventing anyone from approaching.

Liu Feng’s screams echoed painfully, his body convulsing as the array pulsed with energy. Helpless, Liu Long could only watch as his son writhed in agony before finally going limp.

Justice Served...

Meanwhile, the gardener who had been the original target of this execution was already far from town. In the early hours of the morning, he had fled with his family to another city, aided by mysterious benefactors. Now, safe from harm, he turned back toward the direction of town of Thanes, bowing low with his family in a quiet gesture of gratitude to the person who had given them their freedom.