Dai Mubai glared fiercely at Oscar, who was still backing away, then looked at Ma Hongjun, who was so frightened he was practically out of his mind. He cursed his bad luck inwardly.
But things had come to this. As their Boss Dai, he couldn't just flee in the face of trouble.
Dai Mubai could only steel himself and say, "Senior Bu Le, we were indeed young and hotheaded, and we offended you. We'll apologize right now."
As he spoke, he tugged at Ma Hongjun, signaling for him to bow his head and admit his mistake.
Ma Hongjun was unwilling, but under the pressure of a Soul Ancestor, he could only lower his head in humiliation and mumble, "S-sorry."
Bu Le, however, seemed to have heard a joke. A vicious grin spread across his face, piled high with rolls of fat. "You think an apology is enough? You weren't acting like this just a moment ago."
He suddenly stepped forward and swung his enormous palm toward Dai Mubai's face. "Get down on your knees and kowtow three times. Then maybe I'll consider sparing you!"
A greasy, fishy stench swept in with the force of his palm. Dai Mubai's pupils shrank. As he dodged to the side, his Soul Power erupted. "Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"
His purple Soul Ring lit up, and a pale golden wave of light shot from his mouth, aimed straight at Bu Le's face.
Seeing this, Bu Le's rolls of fat quivered, and a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes. "A pitiful trick!"
"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Net Cover!"
In an instant, a translucent pale golden shield appeared around him, like an upside-down glass bowl, protecting his upper body completely.
The shield looked delicate, yet radiated an extraordinary toughness.
Boom!
The White Tiger Intense Light Wave slammed into the Heavenly Net Cover with a muffled crash. The golden wave struck it like a stone dropped into a lake, sending ripples across its surface.
But the shield only trembled violently a few times before it blocked the attack outright, without so much as a crack.
"That's it?" Bu Le sneered, then thrust both hands outward. "Second Soul Skill: Dual Cover Harmony!"
The Second Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up. The Heavenly Net Cover that had protected his upper body suddenly split into two smaller shields, hovering in front of him, one before the other.
The front shield continued to defend, while the rear one gave off a faint suction force, seeming ready to reflect the attack back.
"Not good!" Dai Mubai's expression changed. He tried to withdraw his Soul Power, but it was already too late.
The rear shield's suction force suddenly erupted. The returning force struck like a spinning blade and slammed into Dai Mubai's chest.
"Pfft!"
Dai Mubai was hit as if by a heavy hammer. His body flew backward against his will and crashed hard into the alley wall. As he slid down, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his shirt red.
"Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun cried out.
Bu Le rushed over to Dai Mubai and swung a fist at his face.
Bu Le's fist whistled through the air and landed squarely on Dai Mubai's face.
Thud!
At the muffled impact, Dai Mubai's vision went black. His cheek swelled up at once, and blood at the corner of his mouth mingled with the sickening ache of loosening teeth.
He had already been injured by the reflected force. Now he had no strength to fight back and could only watch as Bu Le's fist came down again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three punches in a row, each one landing solidly.
Dai Mubai's face swelled visibly. His vision spun, and his consciousness began to blur.
"Boss Dai!" Ma Hongjun's eyes burned red with panic. He tried to rush forward, but Bu Le casually swept him to the ground with a wave of his hand.
Bu Le hadn't even unleashed his full Soul Power, yet that was more than enough to deal with a Soul Master in the twenties.
Ma Hongjun hit the ground, grimacing in pain, and couldn't get up for a long while.
Oscar watched in utter terror. He turned to run, but Bu Le caught him in the corner of his eye.
"Trying to run?" Bu Le sneered and kicked Oscar in the small of the back.
"Ah!"
Oscar flew like a broken sack and crashed into the stone post at the alley entrance. He curled up in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
He tried to get up, only to find that his lower back felt broken. The slightest movement sent a stabbing pain through him.
Seeing Dai Mubai lying on the ground, unable to fight back, Bu Le turned to Ma Hongjun, who had struggled to his feet and was trying to protect his companion. He kicked him in the stomach.
Ma Hongjun doubled over in pain like a shrimp underfoot. He had just opened his mouth to cry out when Bu Le's fist smashed into his face. Blood gushed from his nose, smearing his whole face.
"Still daring to move?" Bu Le spat, grabbed Ma Hongjun by the hair, and flung him toward Dai Mubai.
The two collided with muffled groans of pain.
Bu Le turned toward Oscar, who was trying to sneak away. He caught up in a few strides, planted a foot on Oscar's back, and pinned him firmly to the ground. With his other hand, he grabbed a wooden stick from nearby and rained blows down on him.
"Trying to run! You thought you could get away with acting tough!" Bu Le cursed as he beat him, the stick thudding against Oscar's body.
Oscar cried and wailed in pain, tears mixing with the dust on the ground and smearing his face.
After beating him for a good while, Bu Le finally stopped, panting heavily. He looked at the three men groaning on the ground, a smile of disgust and greed on his face.
Bu Le crouched down and searched Dai Mubai first, pulling out the money pouch at his waist and the bag of Soul Coins from inside his clothes. He weighed them in his hand, then contentedly stuffed them into his own clothes.
Next, he grabbed Ma Hongjun and roughly tore open his jacket. From an inner pocket, he found a money pouch embroidered with a flame pattern. He squeezed it to judge how full it was and grinned.
Finally, he turned to Oscar. Pinned underfoot and unable to move, Oscar could only watch as Bu Le reached over and yanked open his waistband, pulling out the little cloth pouch hidden inside.
Bu Le shook out the few silver coins and heap of Copper Soul Coins inside. There weren't many, but he still stuffed them into his own pocket.
"You're lucky you knew what was good for you." Bu Le patted his bulging pockets and kicked Dai Mubai's leg. "Next time you dare challenge me, taking your money will be the least of your worries."
With that, he walked away whistling, leaving Dai Mubai and the other two lying on the ground.
All three were covered in bruises, purple and blue across their faces and bodies. The places where their money pouches had been were left empty, as if a piece of them had been carved away. It wasn't just their bodies that hurt, but the last shred of dignity they had left.
Dai Mubai struggled to get up and help his companions, but he couldn't raise his arm, and his swollen cheek had nearly shut his eye.
Ma Hongjun clutched his bleeding nose, gasping in pain.
Oscar lay face-down on the ground, the pain in his lower back making it hard even to roll over.
The only sounds left in the alley were their suppressed cries of pain and the mournful wind sighing in the distance, making their earlier arrogance and present misery all the more jarring.
After a long while, the three men got to their feet and supported one another as they headed toward Shrek Academy.
Ma Hongjun complained, "Damn it, let's tell Teacher Zhao when we get back and have him avenge us."
Leaning against the wall, Dai Mubai spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. His voice was hoarse but fierce. "We'll get revenge! We have to! I won't swallow this humiliation! We'll find Teacher Zhao as soon as we're back. I refuse to believe he can't deal with a Bu Le!"