Chapter 27: The Master of Bronze Gong Mountain
"Boss, it looks like someone with a bit of background has shown up." Bebe chuckled as he looked at Linley.
Linley nodded slightly. "A very ordinary-looking young man, yet he has two ninth-rank experts as bodyguards. That's not something just any family can manage."
"Belinda!" An angry voice rang out from the tavern entrance. A young man with golden curly hair entered the tavern. Behind this golden-haired youth followed two cold-faced middle-aged men. The golden-haired youth stared at the beautiful purple-haired girl. "Belinda, are you just going to act like nothing happened?"
"Ah, Master Hubbard." The big-nosed middle-aged man stood up and immediately said warmly, "Please, sit down and talk things over slowly with Belinda."
"Hmph." The golden-haired youth cast a cold glance at the big-nosed middle-aged man. "Get out of my way."
The big-nosed middle-aged man smiled awkwardly and didn't dare say anything more.
Belinda furrowed her brow, turned to face the golden-haired youth, and said seriously, "Hubbard, I admit that what I did this morning was disrespectful to you, but if I don't like you, I just don't like you. I also hope that Master Hubbard will spend his energy on other women."
Hubbard stood silent for a moment, a look of resentment flashing in his eyes. "Fine, fine. Belinda..."
"I, Hubbard, have never been so courteous to anyone before. For you, I've done it again and again. I've sent you gifts, I've tried every way to make you like me, but now it seems... none of it matters." Hubbard's face turned cold. "Hmph. Then Belinda, don't blame me for what happens next."
Belinda, having supported such a large household from a young age, naturally guessed what Hubbard intended to do.
"Hubbard, with your status, what woman couldn't you have? Why waste your time on a girl from a declining noble family?" Belinda said tactfully.
"What I want, I always get!"
Hubbard raised his chin slightly as he spoke, an absolute coldness in his eyes. "Uncles, take her back." As soon as Hubbard said this, Belinda's face instantly turned deathly pale, drained of all color. She knew well the immense power of Hubbard's family.
That was precisely why she hadn't dared to offend Hubbard too much. But on some matters, she still had to hold her ground.
"Yes, young master." The two cold-faced middle-aged men behind Hubbard bowed in acknowledgment.
"Wait, wait." The big-nosed middle-aged man stepped in front of Belinda and pleaded, "Master Hubbard, please spare my daughter. I'll do anything you want. I'll even give you my ancestral mansion, just please spare my daughter."
Belinda stared blankly at her father.
Was this the same man who cared so much about face, who only knew how to drink and fool around? Belinda had always secretly looked down on her father. But at this moment... she realized her father was far from what she had thought.
"Hmph. Who wants your rundown house?" Hubbard said disdainfully. "Take Belinda away. If that old fool gets in the way, kill him directly!"
"Yes." The two cold-faced middle-aged men sneered as they walked forward.
The big-nosed middle-aged man immediately blocked his daughter, seemingly trying to protect her.
"Father, get out of the way." Belinda tried to push her father aside, but her alcoholic father, at this moment, seemed to possess great strength, stubbornly standing in front of Belinda.
"Get lost." One of the cold-faced middle-aged men mercilessly kicked at the big-nosed middle-aged man.
No one in the entire tavern dared to make a sound. The drinkers all knew Hubbard's power in Heston City. No one dared to intervene!
The crowd looked at Belinda and her father, sympathy in their eyes.
In their eyes, Belinda and her father's fate was already sealed.
But strangely, the cold-faced middle-aged man's kick softened halfway, and the man himself collapsed like mud, crumpling to the ground. Blood oozed from his nose, eyes, mouth, and ears.
He was dead!
Everyone was stunned. Even the arrogant Hubbard was dumbfounded. The other ninth-rank expert immediately knelt down and lifted his companion. "Brother, brother, what happened to you?" This ninth-rank expert couldn't believe it.
His brother, who had reached the ninth rank, had died in an instant.
"Who is it? Show yourself!" The ninth-rank expert scanned the surroundings and shouted coldly, anger in his eyes.
But no one spoke. The ninth-rank expert sneered, "Whoever killed my brother, you'd better come out now. Otherwise... everyone else in this tavern will die. That'll be on your head." The ninth-rank expert looked around.
The other patrons in the tavern were terrified.
"Take your young master and get lost, now." A voice rang out.
The ninth-rank expert's gaze immediately locked onto the source of the voice. Belinda and her father also looked over. It was a seemingly young man with long, disheveled hair. Across from him sat a handsome youth wearing a straw hat.
Hubbard stepped forward two paces and shouted coldly, "Who are you? How dare you interfere in my affairs?"
From birth until now, no one had ever defied Hubbard. There was nothing he wanted that he couldn't get, especially here in Heston City. Even the king of the kingdom didn't have as much influence as Hubbard. The domineering habits he had developed since childhood made Hubbard fearless of anyone.
"So annoying!" Bebe, displeased, splashed the wine from his cup directly into Hubbard's face. "Get lost, now."
Hubbard froze, touched the wine on his face, and instantly turned bright red.
Insult!
Hubbard had never suffered any grievance since childhood. Belinda's rejection had been tactful, but Hubbard still felt it had embarrassed him, which infuriated him. And what Bebe did now was the greatest insult he had ever received in his entire life!
"Kill him! Kill him!!!" Hubbard's voice turned shrill as he roared, pointing at Bebe.
Bebe looked up at him and grinned.
"Swish!" Bebe vanished instantly. A crisp "smack" of a slap rang out, and Hubbard was sent flying, crashing onto a nearby chair. His head was twisted at a grotesque angle as he fell to the ground, blood pooling everywhere.
The ninth-rank expert's face changed, and he immediately blurred into motion, charging forward.
"Smack!" Another slap.
The ninth-rank expert was sent flying. He spat blood but didn't die.
"You, you're dead men." The ninth-rank expert struggled to his feet. Seeing Hubbard's twisted head, it was clear he was already dead.
"Dead men?" A sinister smile hung on Bebe's handsome face. He deliberately adjusted the straw hat on his head and looked down at the ninth-rank expert. "We'll be waiting. I'd like to see how you're going to kill us!"
Linley watched from the side and didn't stop him.
The ninth-rank expert glared at Linley and Bebe with hatred, then threw his head back and let out a furious roar. The piercing sound instantly spread from the tavern.
"You two, leave quickly." Belinda ran over and urged Linley and Bebe, "Hubbard's father is a terrifyingly powerful expert. No one dares to provoke him. Go, now." Belinda didn't want the two of them to be implicated because of her.
Linley and Bebe exchanged a glance.
In truth, Bebe hadn't killed the ninth-rank expert precisely to lure out the stronger figure behind him. Only by doing so could he ensure that the girl would have no future troubles.
"Boom!" A terrifying explosion of air sounded from afar.
In an instant, a figure appeared inside the tavern. Seeing the newcomer, the ninth-rank expert immediately knelt on one knee. "Lord Rager, this subordinate was useless. The young master has been killed by those two." The ninth-rank expert's body trembled as he spoke.
The newcomer was a burly man with a full beard and sharp eyes.
But when the burly man saw Hubbard's twisted, dead head on the ground, he was stunned for a long moment. Then he looked at the ninth-rank expert. "The young master is dead. Why aren't you?" The ninth-rank expert was horrified, but before he could react—
A flash of blade light passed, and the ninth-rank expert's head flew off.
"Ah!" Many in the tavern were so frightened their eyes bulged. Belinda and her father stood to the side, not daring to make a sound. Belinda looked at Linley and Bebe with concern in her eyes.
"Did you kill my son?" Rager stared at Linley and Bebe.
"That's right." Bebe looked down at Rager, his handsome face full of disdain.
Linley continued sitting and drinking, paying no attention to Rager. Linley's spiritual sense had already detected that this "Lord Rager" was merely a Saint-level expert. From that single slash, he was at most a peak Saint-level expert. He posed no threat to Bebe at all.
"Rager, what's going on?" A gust of wind blew, and another figure appeared at the door—a silver-haired middle-aged man.
"Wait a moment before we go see the teacher. I need to kill these two bastards first." Rager's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth clenched.
"See the teacher?" Linley frowned slightly.
The silver-haired middle-aged man was shocked as he looked at Hubbard's dead body on the ground. He knew very well how much Hubbard meant to Rager. Both he and Rager had escaped from the Gebados Planar Prison. They were both peak Saint-level experts.
Peak Saint-level experts were at the very bottom of the Gebados Planar Prison.
Even experts needed women.
In the Gebados Planar Prison, those peak Saint-level experts were the lowest of the low, with no chance of getting a woman. After escaping from the Gebados Planar Prison, they naturally indulged in women. And Rager had naturally fathered a son.
Before being imprisoned in the Gebados Planar Prison ten thousand years ago, Rager had also had offspring. But after so many years, who knew if Rager's bloodline still existed?
Having a son in old age naturally led to extreme doting.
Rager had been without a son for over ten thousand years, so this one was truly a "son born in old age"!
His doting was beyond words. He had even arranged for two ninth-rank experts to protect his son. Whatever his son wanted, Rager would find a way to get it. His son was the apple of his eye. Now that his son was dead...
Rager also sensed Bebe's threat and began to gather his power.
Bebe, however, remained very casual, waiting for Rager to make the first move. Suddenly, Rager let out a furious roar. A flash of light, like a white ribbon, appeared, and the blade was already in front of Bebe. Everyone in the tavern turned pale with fear.
They began to worry for the handsome youth.
"Is that all you've got?" The blade stopped.
It was caught between two of Bebe's fingers. The blade couldn't advance another inch.
"Impressive." Linley's eyes lit up. A divine body was strong, but catching a Saint-level expert's strongest strike with just two fingers—even if Linley did it, he couldn't be as casual as Bebe. "Bebe's body was always tough, and after becoming a divine body, it seems even more formidable." Linley praised inwardly.
Everyone in the tavern was dumbfounded.
Two fingers holding that sharp weapon. Rager was stunned too. He finally realized that the opponent he was facing was probably a Deity-level expert.
Though furious, Rager immediately let go of his battle blade. He had come to his senses. His son was dead, but he could have another. Even though he had raised this one for years and it pained him, compared to his own life, his own life was still more important.
Rager immediately said respectfully, "Since you two lords have punished my son, let this matter end here. My teacher is the Master of Bronze Gong Mountain. I hope you two will spare me for my teacher's sake."
Belinda and everyone else felt that the situation had taken a bizarre turn.
"Pfft!"
A black light flashed. A hole appeared in Rager's forehead. Rager stared wide-eyed, as if in disbelief, then crashed to the ground.
Bebe blew on his fingers. "Master of Bronze Gong Mountain? Never heard of him."
Linley, however, frowned. He looked at the silver-haired middle-aged man, who was still in shock, and said, "You. Come here."