Hearing this, Lin Ruhu sneered and said, âKid, that joke isnât funny.â
âIs that so?â Young Master Gao Yang replied. âYouâll soon understand this isnât a joke.â
âEnough nonsense,â Little Gui snorted, swinging his long staff straight toward him.
âWhat, angry now?â Young Master Gao Yang chuckled.
His wine cup flew through the air, glowing brightly.
The cup shone like a blazing sun, blocking the long staff below it.
But the power behind that strike was enormous. The blazing sun shattered, and Young Master Gao Yangâs figure flickered to the side.
âYouâve got some skill, no wonder you dare be so arrogant,â Young Master Gao Yang said coldly. âDo you even know who youâre dealing with? You donât understand Young Master Gao Yangâs identity.â
The people who had accompanied Gao Yang started shouting from the side.
âYouâd better apologize, or youâll bring disaster on yourselves.â
âA mere inner court elder of the True Martial Sacred Ground isnât enough to make me afraid,â Xu Zimo replied.
âArrogant brat. Let me tell you the truth, my uncle is right here in Flourishing Sun City,â Young Master Gao Yang said coldly.
Xu Zimo ignored him and looked at Little Gui.
Little Gui understood his meaning. His long staff whirled fiercely, stirring up the wind.
The staff smashed through the air, ripples spreading as it came crashing down.
With a loud boom, Gao Yang rose to block, a blazing sun above his head, but he was still sent flying by the blow.
âLetâs hope your body is as tough as your mouth,â Little Gui said with a smile.
He stepped toward Gao Yang, and the surrounding peopleâs eyes grew sharp.
Someone shouted, âQuick, protect Young Master Gao Yang, go call for Elder Gao!â
The group immediately split, some rushing out of the tavern while others blocked Little Guiâs path.
âGentlemen, this might be a misunderstanding,â they said with forced smiles, unwilling to fight.
But Little Gui didnât bother with words. His long staff split into countless shadows, buzzing as it swept through the air.
With a thunderous crack, the strike came down.
These people were nothing but spoiled sons with no real strength. In just one blow, they were scattered apart.
Little Gui towered over Gao Yang, smiling. âIâll break your limbs and let you beg. Seems youâve already decided your own fate.â
With four cracking sounds and Gao Yangâs screams, he lay on the ground like mud.
His eyes burned with hatred as he glared at Little Gui.
âBelieve me, you will die.â
âStill so stubborn?â Little Gui sneered and kicked him again.
Just then, from outside the Bright Moon Tower, a group of people flew in.
They wore golden armor, about a dozen of them, looking fierce and imposing.
The leader appeared to be a general.
He entered the tavern, frowning as he scanned the crowd, then fixed his gaze on Old Man Wei and Wei Ying.
Clad in heavy armor, the general stepped forward, the metal clanking as he moved.
âElder Wei, Princess, please come with me,â the general said with a smile.
At this, the crowd froze, all eyes turning to their table.
âPrincess?â Xu Zimo and Lin Ruhu glanced at each other.
âThis so-called princess must be a princess of the Violet Sun Empire.â
âWeâve hidden ourselves so far away, yet you still found us,â Old Man Wei said bitterly. âNot even leaving us a way to live.â
âPlease, Elder Wei, Princess, come with us,â the general repeated.
âIâm not going back,â Wei Ying turned her head aside, snorting.
âIf the princess is unwilling, then weâll have to take you back by force,â the general said calmly. âI hope the princess wonât make this harder for us.â
âAll of you are nothing but that womanâs dogs,â Wei Ying snorted.
As they argued, another group entered.
At the lead were two middle-aged men of similar age.
When Young Master Gao Yang saw them, his eyes widened, and with all the strength he had left, he shouted, âFather, save me!â
The man on the left, Gao Rujin, saw his sonâs condition and his face changed drastically. He rushed forward.
âYangâer, how did this happen?â Gao Rujin demanded.
âIt was them, those little bastards,â Gao Yang said with hatred.
Gao Rujin stood, spiritual energy rising faintly from his body, glaring fiercely at Xu Zimoâs group.
âYouâve gone too far.â
Meanwhile, the general bowed to the other middle-aged man, smiling. âGreetings, Elder Gao.â
This Elder Gao was easily identifiable. He wore the gray robe unique to the True Martial Sacred Groundâs inner court elders.
Though not very old, his hair was already turning white.
âSo, itâs the Violet Sun Empireâs State-Securing General,â Elder Gao said with a smile and nod.
âHas something happened here that you require our help?â the general asked.
âNo need, just a small conflict,â Elder Gao shook his head with a smile.
Beside him, Gao Rujin still glared at Xu Zimoâs group.
âSecond brother, this matter cannot be judged so simply,â Elder Gao stepped forward with a smile.
âYangâer got into a conflict with others. We should first learn the details, right and wrong, and then decide. We canât just accuse people without knowing the truth.â
âBut Yangâer has already been beaten like this,â Gao Rujin said angrily, then sensed his older brotherâs unusual tone.
âNo matter what, the truth must be clear first,â Elder Gao insisted.
He beckoned a young man nearby, calling him over.
âTell me, youâre Yangâerâs friend. Donât be biased, say everything honestly.â
The youth pointed at Xu Zimoâs group and quickly said, âIt was them. They tried to dine and dash here. Our young master spoke up for justice, and they beat him like this.â
âIf they tried to dine and dash here at Bright Moon Tower, thatâs a matter between them and the tavern keeper. What does that have to do with Gao Yang?â Elder Gao asked.
âOur young master was just standing up for justice,â the youth explained.
âThatâs called meddling. Nothing better to do after eating too much?â Elder Gao snorted. âIn my view, this beating was deserved. Well done, why didnât they just kill him?â
Elder Gao continued, âFirst of all, this is our fault. I think we should apologize to these young gentlemen.â
âBig brother, you...â Gao Rujin was stunned.
Why did it suddenly feel like he no longer knew his own brother?
âBig brother, youâre an inner court elder of the True Martial Sacred GroundâŠâ