Chapter 154: Third Young Master Wang (Part 4)

Luffy’s gaze was completely calm, as indifferent as looking at a few utterly insignificant beings. Yet, that very look caused the men in black to freeze, because they saw a sense of condescension, a trace of utter disdain, and realized that in this young man’s eyes, they simply did not exist.

"You can either crawl away or die. Make your choice!"

"Heh... Kid, do you even know who we are? How dare you speak to us like that? Tired of living, aren't you? We belong to Young Master Wang. If you don't want to die, hand this little girl over to us right now."

The leading man in black roared arrogantly at Luffy.

"Well, well, isn't that Long? Long time no see!" A familiar voice rang out.

Luffy turned his head and saw Ximen Yu, the guy who always claimed to be one of the Three Heroes of the Apocalypse. Seeing the men in black, he walked over and sat down nearby. "Damn, is this beauty your girlfriend? She's gorgeous, practically a fairy!"

"Yeah, my wife!" Luffy was somewhat surprised. Ximen Yu had been in the safe zone; why was it taking him so long to show up? Had he gone out to kill monsters and level up again?

"Oh, hello sister-in-law! I'm Long's good friend, one of the Four Heroes of the Apocalypse, Ximen Yu. These guys are absolute scum. No need for Long to get his hands dirty, I'll handle this."

Ximen Yu smiled, then stood up and walked toward the group of men.

"You guys belong to the Wang family's third young master? I heard the Wang family is already in decline, with only that third young master barely holding things together. I didn't expect you lot to still be so arrogant. You shouldn't throw your weight around like this, especially going around grabbing people off the streets. It's truly unwatchful."

Ximen Yu shook his head and said.

"Who the hell are you? Get lost! We have to drag this little girl back. She ruined our Young Master's precious item. If we don't bring her back, we're dead men."

The leading man in black roared.

"Heh... Who's going to believe that kind of excuse? A little girl breaks into Young Master Wang's estate and wrecks his treasures? My name is Ximen Yu. If you know what's good for you, get down on your knees and beg for mercy, and maybe we'll spare you. Otherwise, I'm sending you all flying."

The flute in Ximen Yu's hand gleamed as if ready to strike at any moment.

"Ximen family? What kind of worthless garbage is that? Never heard of it. Go to hell!"

The leading man in black roared as he charged forward, followed by the others, all rushing furiously toward Ximen Yu.

"Whoosh..." Ximen Yu flicked his flute forward, sending a ripple of jade light surging outward. All the men in black screamed as they were sent flying backward, crashing to the ground in a dizzy, disoriented heap.

"So weak, yet you dare act arrogant in front of us? Get lost before I change my mind."

At that, the group scrambled to their feet and fled in a panic.

***

Luffy looked at Ximen Yu. "It's been a while. Your strength has improved quite a bit."

"Long, don't tell me your power is gone? You actually look just like an ordinary person!" Ximen Yu said with a worried expression. If he hadn't just noticed that Luffy seemed completely devoid of any formidable aura, he wouldn't have rushed in to intervene.

"Haha, how could it be gone?" Luffy smiled, then turned to Chen Yuxuan and asked, "What did they want to catch you for?"

"I... I don't know!" Chen Yuxuan said between large mouthfuls, clearly having been starved for a long time.

"How would she know? She's just a little kid." Qin Bailing shook her head as she looked at Luffy. "When did you start going by 'Long'?"

"Oh, that was just a moniker I used." Luffy smiled and said.

"Damn, you told us that was your title? Brother, that's not playing fair. What's your real name?" Ximen Yu was left speechless.

"Luffy," Luffy replied.

"Oh, Lu Fei, sounds pretty nice. A lot like that hero Luffy. I heard that hero named Luffy has already beaten back the zombie and wasteland beast hordes twice. He's seriously badass." Ximen Yu told Luffy with a completely straight face.

"Can someone named Luffy not be badass? Actually, I am that hero Luffy."

Luffy said with a smile.

"Stop bragging. Although I've never laid eyes on hero Luffy, I know for a fact he must be a tall, burly guy with a thick beard."

Ximen Yu thought about it and said very seriously.

"What the hell? Why would you think that? I heard hero Luffy is very young and extremely handsome."

Luffy was rendered speechless. How could someone as handsome as him have a big beard?

"Heroes, you see—the ones I've read about all have huge beards! Like Zhang Fei, Cheng Yaojin, Guan Gong..." Ximen Yu argued earnestly.

"Those are historical figures from ancient times! Hero Luffy isn't a stone statue." Luffy said, looking at Ximen Yu in exasperation.

"Oh, I suppose that's true. Whatever, I don't care what he looks like anyway. Besides, I heard he's super mysterious and there are no photographs of him. I really want to meet him someday and witness his divine demeanor." Ximen Yu mused after a moment of thought.

***

"Oh, you'll get to meet him eventually." Luffy patted Ximen Yu on the shoulder. "Where are Lei and Ji Xiaojizi?"

"Ji Xiaojizi was taken to Sky City by her dad. As for Lei and his assassin group, they went off on some mission, who knows where."

Ximen Yu shook his head helplessly.

"I see." Luffy nodded, then turned back to Chen Yuxuan. "Eat slowly, there's no need to rush."

"Young Master, that's them! They're the ones who stopped us from taking the little girl and beat us up!"

The previously routed man in black suddenly reappeared behind Luffy. Facing Ximen Yu and the little girl, he roared arrogantly, looking utterly furious.

"Ximen Yu, this punk actually dared to hit my men! Today, this isn't going to end easily." Young Master Wang shouted furiously. "This little girl smashed my precious treasure, and she has to pay for it! I'm not one to bully the weak, but she happened to ruin my Tier-6 Body Tempering Fluid. Hand it over, and I won't give you any more trouble."

Young Master Wang smiled cruelly, his eyes filled with contempt as he looked at Ximen Yu, showing not an ounce of respect.

"Young Master Wang, since your strength has actually reached such a level, I suppose I wouldn't mind sparring with you. It's been a long time since I had a real fight." Ximen Yu looked at the newcomer with a hint of surprise. "Wait for me a second, Long."

"Sure, go ahead." Luffy nodded without turning his head, continuing to calmly share snacks with Qin Bailing.

"Ximen Yu, you're asking for a death wish, so I'll gladly grant it. Time to show you my true power! My father and brother were recently killed, and I've been looking for an outlet for my rage." Young Master Wang said with a sinister, cruel glare fixed entirely on Ximen Yu.

"How could a little girl possibly break a Tier-6 Body Tempering Fluid? That's not some ordinary glass bottle. If you're going to frame someone, at least come up with a better excuse."

Ximen Yu walked up to Young Master Wang with his flute in hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, aren't you clever? Fine, I'll tell you the truth: this little girl has great aptitude, and I want to take her as my disciple. So what? Got a problem with it?"

Young Master Wang roared arrogantly at Ximen Yu, completely dismissing him from the start.