Perhaps We Should Spare His Dog's Life

"Master Roshi... you're not planning to enter the tournament yourself this time?" Tien Shinhan seemed to think of something, lowering his voice with a hint of respect as he quietly asked the old master.

"I'm not going up. I really can't keep up with you youngsters anymore." Master Roshi waved a hand, a resigned and slightly wistful smile on his face as he frankly admitted the gap between himself and his juniors.

Time waits for no one. Watching these vibrant young people before him, Master Roshi felt a mix of emotions, but more than anything, relief.

Besides, I've got Broly now.

He'll represent me and carry my Turtle School to greater heights!

Why would I still need to step into the ring?

"Unbelievable..." Bulma's gaze hadn't left Son Goku the whole time. She cupped her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with a strange light, her heart fluttering as she kept marveling, "It's only been three years, and Goku's gone from that clueless little squirt to such a tall, handsome guy! The change is just too amazing!"

"Hey, hey, you're not crushing on him, are you?" Oolong caught Bulma's look and couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Switching sides that fast? Yamcha's not getting cuckolded, is he?"

A few hours passed quickly in waiting and idle chatter.

The preliminary matches at the Martial Arts Temple had momentarily died down.

Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and the others deliberately came out from the competitors' waiting area to find Master Roshi's group in the spectator section, reporting the results of the preliminaries.

Except for Chiaotzu, who had unfortunately lost, Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien Shinhan all defeated their respective opponents, smoothly passing the preliminaries and earning spots in the official tournament.

"I can't shake my worry about the guy who beat Chiaotzu." Yamcha's face carried a trace of concern, his brow furrowed. "He fights dirty and ruthless."

"He's Master Shen's brother, Mercenary Tao." Krillin added from the side, his tone equally grave.

"Mercenary Tao?" Master Roshi was taken aback, surprise spreading across his face. He adjusted his sunglasses and asked in confusion, "Wasn't he killed by Goku many years ago?"

"He's still alive!" Krillin explained. "He used some method to turn himself into a half-cyborg! Part of his body is mechanical!"

"Tao's comeback is clearly for revenge! He wants to kill Goku and Tien!" Yamcha clenched his fists tightly, his voice heavy with gravity. "And according to the bracket, the first quarterfinal match is Tien going head-to-head with him!"

"Mercenary Tao!" Master Roshi's expression instantly turned serious, his white beard trembling slightly. "This is bad... He's not only the world's greatest assassin, but he also watched Tien grow up! He knows Tien's fighting style and weaknesses better than anyone!"

"No big deal." Son Goku just smiled, his face carrying its usual ease and confidence.

Broly stood a bit further off, focused on gnawing a glossy chicken leg, his cheeks stuffed full, equally unconcerned with the strong enemy being discussed.

"That guy's no match for Tien now." Son Goku looked at the worried faces around him and added with certainty, fully confident in his friend's abilities.

"Huh?" Yamcha blinked, surprised by Goku's firm judgment.

"You're all seriously underestimating Mercenary Tao!"

A sinister, clearly mocking voice came from not far away.

Master Shen had somehow already strolled over, wearing a traditional Crane School uniform, his face plastered with undisguised smugness and contempt.

"Master Shen!" Krillin's pupils contracted slightly, his body instinctively tensing.

"Look at you, standing there like a bunch of stunned idiots! How amusing!" Master Shen sneered, his gaze sweeping like a knife over Master Roshi and his disciples. In a condescending tone, he said, "Out of respect for fellow martial artists, I'll give you a warning, you Turtle School fools! Before you're all wiped out, you'd better tuck your tails and run! Save yourselves the humiliation on the stage—or even losing your lives!"

As he spoke, Master Shen's narrow eyes darted around and landed on Broly, who was standing off to the side, still locked in battle with his chicken leg.

Broly was eating with total abandon, grease smeared on his mouth and hands, utterly without dignity, completely lost in his own world of food.

Broly just happened to look up, caught the hostile stare, and shot back a big, unapologetic eye-roll, letting out a displeased snort as if complaining about the interruption to his meal.

"Hmph! This brat's called Broly, right?" Master Shen found a new target for his mockery, curling his lips into an extremely provocative smirk. In a shrill voice, he said, "I heard this is the abandoned brat that old turtle picked up from some trash heap? He looks like a brainless fool who only knows how to shove food in his mouth! The Turtle School really does churn out this kind of garbage!"

The scene fell into an eerie silence.

Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Bulma...

Everyone froze, staring at Master Shen with a mix of shock and pity.

You really have no standards!

Picking a fight with anyone!

Why did you have to pick a fight with Broly, of all monsters!

You clearly don't know how to spell "death"!

This guy's about to be in for a world of hurt!

Broly's chewing stopped abruptly, the chicken leg frozen mid-air.

His usually lazy, content face stiffened for a moment, his brow slightly furrowing.

The next second, Broly immediately turned to look at Master Roshi.

Master Roshi's mouth twitched violently, a headache forming.

"Old man!" Broly's voice was calm, but anyone who knew him could hear the irritation beneath it. "If I kill him, you got a problem with that?"

Broly said it as if he were asking, "Can I have another chicken leg?"

"How about... sparing his sorry life?" Master Roshi quickly replied.

"Oh!" Broly nodded in agreement. "Then I'll beat the crap out of him and make him eat it himself. His mouth's so filthy, it's polluting the air."

Master Roshi: "..."

Master Roshi felt his old face twitching.

You might as well just kill him!

That sounds even more disgusting and cruel!

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!" Master Shen seemed to hear the most absurd, hilarious joke in the world. He clutched his stomach, laughing uproariously, doubling over until tears nearly streamed from his eyes. "You, this brainless eater, say you want to kill me? And make me... hahaha! You kill me! You idiot, even if I stood here and let you hit me, your flimsy little fists couldn't even scratch my defense!"