However, no matter how they taunted, Lin Xiao’s face showed not a trace of fear. He remained silent, his gaze fixed on Wang Long with a mocking glint.
“Is that new disciple scared? No matter how much they curse, he doesn’t even respond?”
“Looks like he’s not planning to fight either. Seems he’s wary of Wang Long.”
Behind them, onlookers who had rushed over to watch began whispering among themselves.
“Ba Hu, you’re nothing but Lin Xiao’s defeated lackey. Acting tough behind someone else—don’t you feel ashamed?” At that moment, Ling Hu couldn’t sit still any longer and shouted at Ba Hu.
Ba Hu’s expression darkened. He did indeed carry the reputation of borrowing others’ strength, especially since he’d already lost to Lin Xiao.
If Lin Xiao had said it, he might’ve let it slide, but for an unknown nobody to point and curse at him, the anger on his face grew more pronounced.
Before he could retort, Gou Shi beside him yelled, “Ling Hu, what are you supposed to be? You’re just my defeated underling—since when do you get to talk to Brother Hu?”
“In front of me now, you’re less than nothing!” Ling Hu shot back.
“You!” Gou Shi nearly choked with rage. Just a few days ago, he’d beaten Ling Hu soundly, yet now, having latched onto Lin Xiao, Ling Hu was lording it over him.
“Let’s fight if you’ve got the guts—come at me!” Gou Shi roared at Ling Hu.
“A fight’s fine, but it seems you’ve forgotten something.” At that moment, Lin Xiao spoke up. Under everyone’s gaze, he stepped forward slowly, his eyes sweeping over the dozen or so Dragon Tiger Sect members with an amused smile. “Weren’t you here for me?”
“…” Gou Shi and the Dragon Tiger Sect group froze, then fury erupted on their faces. This was blatant humiliation.
“Hmph, Lin Xiao, you think beating me makes you invincible? Let me tell you, in front of my big brother, you’re nothing!” Ba Hu glared, his voice booming with rage.
“Oh, is that so?” Lin Xiao’s calm gaze shifted to Wang Long, and he smiled. “In your eyes, I’m nothing?”
The eyes of the Dragon Tiger Sect members and the onlookers followed Lin Xiao’s words to Wang Long, eager to see his reaction.
But just when everyone expected Wang Long to explode in anger, a strained, uglier-than-crying smile appeared on his stiff face. He addressed Lin Xiao with surprising politeness, “Uh, Junior Brother, this… it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”
“What?” His words stunned everyone present.
The onlookers, all the Dragon Tiger Sect disciples, Hu Yue, and Ling Hu stood there, dumbfounded.
Especially Ling Hu—he knew Wang Long well. Like Ba Hu, Wang Long was brash and unreasonable, quick to fight at the slightest provocation. Yet now, in front of everyone, Wang Long was apologising to Lin Xiao?
He wondered if he’d misheard.
“A misunderstanding? I just heard I’m nothing in your eyes and should crawl over begging for mercy.” Seeing Wang Long’s demeanour, Lin Xiao gave a faint smile.
That Wang Long could lower himself so much in front of a crowd was unexpected.
It must’ve been the Blood Dragon Vision that rattled him so deeply.
Wang Long awkwardly clasped his hands, his face a mask of discomfort as he apologised, “It was my brothers talking nonsense. I hope you’ll forgive them, Junior Brother.”
“…” The crowd’s jaws dropped.
They hadn’t misheard—Wang Long was indeed apologising, humbling himself before Lin Xiao.
The Dragon Tiger Sect disciples, who’d thought they’d misheard, were utterly bewildered.
“Big Brother!” Ba Hu looked at Wang Long in disbelief, but Wang Long raised a hand and said, “Let’s go. We’re giving up this territory.”
“What?” Ba Hu’s face froze. He knew Wang Long’s temper better than anyone—harsher than his own. If someone tarnished his pride, he’d never let it go easily. Yet now, he was abandoning the entire Dragon Tiger Sect’s turf without touching Lin Xiao?
Lin Xiao might be stronger than him, but surely not enough to make Wang Long cower at first sight?
What was going on? No matter how he racked his brain, Ba Hu couldn’t figure it out.
Seeing Ba Hu’s reaction, Wang Long’s face twisted with anger. His sharp gaze stabbed at him as he repeated in a heavy tone, “Go. We’re abandoning this territory!”
Ba Hu’s expression stiffened.
“Did I hear that right? Wang Long’s giving up his own territory?”
“This is unreal!”
The crowd began murmuring again.
The whispers reached Wang Long’s ears, making his face contort with humiliation, but he swallowed his rage, turned, and started to leave.
“Leaving just like that— isn’t it a bit rushed?” Lin Xiao’s voice rang out.
Wang Long’s steps faltered. He looked up to see the young man watching him with a faint smile.
His face burned with shame. He’d never felt so stifled, but he knew this boy’s talent and strength. If they fought again, he’d only end up fleeing once more.
“What more do you want?” Wang Long asked, eyeing Lin Xiao warily.
“Heh.” Lin Xiao chuckled softly. “Since you’re leaving on your own, I won’t make it hard for you. Follow the old rules—leave your storage ring, and you can take your people away.”
At that, Ba Hu and the others’ faces darkened. Setting aside why Wang Long wasn’t fighting, wasn’t the old rule that only those who fought had to hand over their storage rings? They hadn’t even clashed yet, and now they had to surrender one? What kind of nonsense rule was this?
But just as the group seethed, Wang Long, to everyone’s shock, tossed his storage ring to Lin Xiao, growling, “Can we go now?”
“Bold move!” Catching the ring, Lin Xiao nodded with a smile. “My word stands.”
“Go!” Wang Long waved a hand and turned to descend.
Ba Hu and the others were baffled, but seeing Wang Long’s resolve—handing over his ring without hesitation—they didn’t linger. With one last furious glare at Lin Xiao’s trio, they stormed off in a huff.
“Wait!” Ling Hu’s voice suddenly cut through. “Your business might be settled, but ours isn’t, right?”
Wang Long, Ba Hu, and the others paused, turning back with increasingly puzzled looks. The situation was growing stranger by the minute.
“Ba Hu, you had your lackey toy with me before. Now, it’s time to settle that score!” Ling Hu glared at Ba Hu, a savage aura faintly radiating from him, his stance like a tiger poised to pounce.
“What do you want?” Ba Hu’s expression was grim. Lin Xiao was one thing, but what was this guy?
“Fight me!” Ling Hu stepped forward.
“What!” Ba Hu, Gou Shi, and the others were stunned. Was this guy out of his mind?
Lin Xiao made sense—he’d beaten Ba Hu before. But this scrawny fellow daring to challenge Ba Hu?
“I beat you, and now you want to take on Brother Hu? Ling Hu, have you lost it?” Gou Shi nearly leapt forward, cursing.
“You’re nothing!” Ling Hu roared, ignoring Gou Shi entirely and shouting at Ba Hu, “Whether you accept or not, today, I’m settling this with you!”
With that, Ling Hu lunged forward, his body like an ancient ferocious tiger, a wild, overwhelming aura surging as he clenched his right fist, the air seeming to crackle.
The onlookers were dumbfounded, their minds struggling to keep up. But it looked like things were about to get even more interesting.
“Courting death! Want to fight Brother Hu? Get past me first!” Seeing Ling Hu charge, Gou Shi exploded with rage. His Sixth Heaven Martial aura flared, dazzling yuan qi boiling around him as he stepped in front of Ba Hu and rushed at Ling Hu.
Gou Shi swung his fist, a brilliant light bursting forth, carrying a fierce momentum and a faint tiger’s roar as it blasted towards Ling Hu.
