"Hahaha! Hit him harder, don't hold back!" A fifteen-year-old boy with a face full of acne barked at the other boys around him, all dressed in the same uniform.
"But, young master, if we hit him harder, there might be trouble," one of the boys whispered to the fifteen-year-old boy beside him.
Hearing this, his expression turned dark, and he kicked the boy who had spoken.
"What do you know, you fool? If I say hit him, you hit him!"
Realizing that his young master was angry, the boy scrambled to his feet and joined the others, shouting, "Did you all hear? Hit him harder!"
The group of boys continued to pummel a young man dressed in black, who lay curled up on the ground, trying to protect himself from their punches and kicks. They treated him as if he were nothing more than a punching bag.
After a while, as the boys grew tired and began to catch their breath, one of them turned to the fifteen-year-old boy. "Young master, if we keep hitting him, it might really cause trouble for us."
"This stubborn mutt... even after all this, he hasn't cried out or begged for mercy."
Seeing the boys looking at him, exhausted and unsure, he snarled, "You useless idiots! If you won't do it, I'll do it myself!"
He took a few steps toward the boy on the ground, and the other boys quickly stepped back, giving their young master room.
"Lu Yang! Lu Yang! How many times do I have to tell you? You're supposed to bow your head and greet me with respect when you see me!" he growled, glaring at the boy named Lu Yang, who still lay motionless on the ground.
He waited a few seconds, expecting a response. When he received none, his anger flared even hotter.
"Fine, have it your way." He threw himself at Lu Yang, launching punches and kicks without restraint.
Unlike the other boys, who seemed hesitant, he struck fearlessly, his blows hitting Lu Yang without a care for his life.
Then, in a moment when everyone had dropped their guard, Lu Yang's eyes suddenly opened, and a fierce expression crossed his face. He locked eyes with the boy, who still had a foot raised to kick him.
The boy froze as he saw a slight smirk on Lu Yang's face. "You're still not-" he began, but before he could finish, Lu Yang grabbed his leg and yanked him to the ground.
Before anyone could react, Lu Yang threw himself onto the boy and began raining down punches with all his strength.
"Hahaha!"
"Dog of the Wu family! Today, I, Lu Yang, will teach you what happens when you bark up the wrong tree!"
The fifteen-year-old boy, now taking blow after blow to his face and stomach, tried to defend himself, but Lu Yang showed no mercy, striking him relentlessly.
For a few heartbeats, the boys around them stood frozen, unable to react. Finally, one of them snapped out of his daze. "What are you all standing around for? Get him off the young master!"
They rushed to pull Lu Yang away, but it was clear he had no intention of letting go of the Wu family's young master.
When their efforts failed, and Lu Yang continued to pummel their young master, the boys had no choice but to start hitting him to make him stop.
A few moments later, the noise attracted the attention of the town guards, who arrived at the scene.
Noticing the brawl, one of the guards struck his spear against the ground and bellowed, "Disperse if you don't want to spend the night locked up!"
One of the boys turned around, saw the Wu town guards, and ran over to them. "Hurry! Someone is beating up Young Master Wu Lei!"
The guards' expressions turned sour as they moved toward the fighting boys.
After dragging a few of them away, the guards spotted Lu Yang still atop Wu Lei, hitting him repeatedly. They quickly grabbed Lu Yang, pulling him off the young master.
When the captain saw the smirk on Lu Yang's face, he couldn't help but think, 'Where did this crazy kid come from?'
As the other boys helped Wu Lei to his feet, the guard captain pondered how to handle the situation.
'Damn it. Out of all the places to start a fight, why did it have to be in my patrol area?'
'If it were just a couple of common kids, I could grab them by the collar and separate them. But when one of them is the young master...'
With a deep frown, the captain turned to Lu Yang, who was now sitting against a wall. "Kid, explain yourself. Why did you attack the young master?"
Lu Yang looked up with a mocking smile. "Hmph! Look closely—does it look like I was the one who attacked them?"
Nearby, Wu Lei, now steadied by his followers, snarled, "You damned Lu dog! How dare you strike me?" and began walking on Lu Yang.
Seeing him approach, Lu Yang took a deep breath, rose slowly, and met Wu Lei's gaze with a defiant stare.
"You're dead, Lu Yang. I'll kill you today!" Wu Lei growled, pointing a finger at Lu Yang in rage.
"Hahaha!" Lu Yang laughed, turning to the guard captain. "Did you hear that, Captain? He's threatening to kill me."
He continued, his face calm and confident, "As we all know, according to the Academy's rules, you have no right to detain me unless someone's been seriously injured or killed."
The guard captain clenched his jaw. 'Damn it, this kid's right. Unless there's a severe injury or fatality, the Martial Academy doesn't allow us to detain students.'
'But if I let this kid go after what he did to the young master, I'll really have a problem on my hands.'
As he struggled to find a solution, Wu Lei shouted, "What are you waiting for, Captain? Are you not going to lock up this dog?"
Just then, one of the guards approached the captain and whispered, "Captain, this boy... he's from the Lu family. You know, the family that died on the expedition two years ago."
The captain's eyes widened in surprise, and he glanced over at Lu Yang. A hint of recognition flashed across his face, and he let out a small smirk. "Lock him up."
'Hmm... That's why he seemed so familiar.'
Two years ago, Lu Yang's parents had set off on an expedition alongside the town's other influential families, never to return. While Martial Masters from the other families came back alive, not a single member of the Lu family survived, which had raised suspicion at the time.
When Lu Yang, only twelve at the time and just a new student at the Academy, heard of his family's fate, he had rushed to his family home—only to find it ransacked by townsfolk who'd looted anything of value. From that moment, he'd harbored a deep hatred for the town.
The guards grabbed Lu Yang, who was looking at them with an unmistakable expression of disgust on his face, and led him to the guard station.
As Lu Yang was taken away, the captain ordered two guards, "Escort the young master back to his home."
But Wu Lei, with an eager expression, called out, "Wait, I will come to the guard station as well."
"Forgive me, young master," the captain said politely but firmly. "It's important to handle this quietly, without it reaching the Academy's ears. If you come along, the entire town will hear about it. Please, return home."
With that, the captain continued toward the guard station.