When twenty men and two men walked in, accompanying one injured person on a stretcher, the boy had walked into the middle of the tavern, unnoticed by the new arrivals. One of the men slowly helped the injured Master He sit down. When Master He sat up, his eyes immediately fell on the boy, and the little boy, recognizing the danger, rushed towards the exit.
A man grabbed the young boy's back collar, stopping him short. He asked, "Where do you think you are going?" He then threw the boy roughly on the floor. "We have been looking for you everywhere. We found the men dead on the road. Who the heck helped you, tramp?" The man started kicking the young boy violently, his boots thudding against the boy's ribs.
Just then, two more men walked into the tavern, seeking shelter from the rain. The two men were well-dressed, each holding a sword, clearly hunters. One man dressed in red mixed with white, and the other man dressed in green and white. The waiter, relieved to see potential help, brought them to their table.
The waiter asked, "Are you both hunters?"
The man dressed in red and white, "Yes, we are."
"Can you help that boy?" The waiter pointed at the man who was still kicking the boy, his face showing concern.
The man dressed in red and white said, "Sorry, we are new to the Hunter World, and we don't want to make any enemies."
The man dressed in green and white added, "It's not that we don't want to help, but we are outnumbered."
"I understand, it's alright," the waiter sighed, disappointed. The waiter went back to the kitchen, leaving the boy to his fate.
The two newly arrived hunters continued their conversation, ignoring the beating.
The man dressed in green and white, "It's nice to see you here. I heard from my cousin that the Guozhao Hunters became the grand leader of the twelve fairy clans."
The man dressed in red and white, "Really? I never thought that the spirit clans would allow it."
The man dressed in green and white, "They are the son-in-laws of the Fox Clan leader. So the fairy clan leaders allowed it."
The man who had been kicking the boy grabbed the young boy by the front collar and pulled him closer to his face. "Who helped you, tramp?" he snarled, demanding an answer.
The young boy, defiant even in pain, spat the blood inside his mouth onto the man's face. He laughed, a chilling, bitter sound. "If I tell you, you won't live to see another day like those men on the road."
The man slapped the boy hard on the face, the sound echoing through the tavern. He said, "Try me." He punched the boy in the stomach and then threw the young boy roughly back onto the floor.
The boy coughed violently, blood gushing out from his mouth, staining the dirt floor.
"You piece of shit!" Master He, now sitting up on the stretcher, screamed madly, his voice hoarse with rage. "How dare you bite me?" Master He kicked the little boy on his right chest, a vicious blow. "Open a room! I will make this tramp my bitch and make sure this tramp obeys his master!" He chuckled, a cruel, predatory sound. "Kowtow before your master, tramp!" He grabbed the boy's hair, forcing his head back. "Beg for your master's forgiveness!"
On the other side of the tavern, the group of friends were sitting at the dining table and eating with the children. Ping'an, increasingly worried about the young boy's prolonged absence, looked towards the commotion.
"I'll go see why he's taking too long," Ping'an said, rising from the table.
"Are you afraid he will fall into the toilet hole?" Zhao Renshu teased, unaware of the actual situation.
"Stop," Ping'an said, shaking her head. "You keep pressing him to answer your questions. I'm afraid he might run away."
"It's not my fault the little rascal refused to answer my questions," Zhao Renshu grumbled. "Maybe you can go and see what the commotion is."
Ping'an left the table and approached the tavern's entrance. She saw a group of twenty men standing, surrounding the young boy, who was sprawled on the floor, being beaten.
"Why do grown men pick on a little kid?" Ping'an asked, her voice cold with anger.
"None of your business. Move out of the way!" one servant snapped, trying to dismiss her.
"Ha...ha...ha...ha..." Master He chuckled, his eyes fixed on Ping'an. "You are not too bad yourself. Even if I like young men, I will never say no to a lady." He leered at her.
Ping'an smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "When another man flirts with me, my husbands don't like it. They might poke you in the eyes."
"There is nothing money can't buy," Master He scoffed, confident in his wealth.
"But one of my husbands is a very jealous man," Ping'an replied, her smile widening.
"I'm not afraid," Master He said, arrogant. "Everyone has their own price."
"Alright," Ping'an said, her voice deceptively sweet. She then shouted, her voice ringing through the tavern, "Renshu! There is a man trying to flirt with your wife!"
Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, hearing Ping'an's shout, came out from the other side of the tavern and went straight to Ping'an, standing protectively on each side of her.
"Who dares to flirt with my wife?" Zhao Renshu demanded, his gaze sweeping over the group of men and the battered young boy on the floor. "Let the boy go."
"Lady, name your price," Master He said to Ping'an, ignoring Zhao Renshu.
Zhao Renshu's arm was wrapped around Ping'an's waist, and his head rested on Ping'an's right shoulder. He smiled, a dangerous, cold smile, and looked at Master He. "She is priceless," he said, his voice low. He then looked at the little boy on the floor and then back at Master He. "You must be the bastard Master He?"
"Who are you anyway?" Master He demanded, annoyed by Zhao Renshu's interruption.
Zhao Renshu chuckled and kissed Ping'an's right cheek. "One of her husbands." He looked at Guo Baiyu. "That's her other husband."
"You would rather choose homeless men," Master He sneered, a jab at Zhao Renshu's appearance.
Zhao Renshu was a little offended, and then he protested, "I am not a homeless person! Why does everyone think I am homeless? I own the entire mountain and half of the city!"
"You look like one," Guo Baiyu said calmly, a slight smirk on his face.
"Shut up," Zhao Renshu said quietly to Guo Baiyu, then looked back at Master He. "I think our wife made the right choice to stay with us."
"Oh, you are not afraid that I can take her away?" Master He challenged.
"How about, let us reach an agreement?" Guo Baiyu interjected, stepping forward to mediate.
"What kind of agreement?" Master He asked, intrigued despite himself.
"You choose ten of the most skilled people to fight with one of our disciples," Guo Baiyu proposed calmly. "If your ten men win, then I will hand our wife and the kid over to you. If you lose, I want all of your right hands."
"If you lose, I want both of your hands, include your disciple's hand," Master He countered, raising the stakes.
"Agree," Guo Baiyu said, his gaze unwavering. Guo Baiyu then looked at the young boy on the floor, who had been listening intently. "Hey kid, do you want to be our disciple?"
Zhao Renshu smirked. "Kowtow before your masters. If you do not want to be our disciple, you will have to fight against them by yourself; we will not force you to become our disciple."
The young boy recalled the incident on the dirt road, remembering Zhao Renshu's brutal power. The kind gentleman (Guo Baiyu) and the homeless man (Zhao Renshu) may not be the famous Guozhao Hunters, but they may be equally skilled, he reasoned. Then, the young boy, without hesitation, knelt in front of Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu and bowed three times, accepting their offer.
"This will be a test to see if you are worthy of being our disciple," Guo Baiyu said, helping the injured boy to his feet. Guo Baiyu handed the boy three paper talismans. Guo Baiyu whispered in his ear, "Fear is people's weakness."
Then Zhao Renshu stood beside the boy and whispered something to the boy's right ear. The boy nodded, his eyes now filled with fierce determination, then he turned to face the ten people. He patted the little boy's left shoulder twice, then walked back and stood beside Ping'an, ready to observe the fight.