A Midnight Ambush

After Krillin won the match, the referee announced the time of the next day's matches. The lively venue gradually quieted down. Once Ziye and the others had finished celebrating Krillin's victory, night began to fall, and everyone returned to the hotel to rest!

After returning to their rooms, they quickly fell asleep. Some time later, the door suddenly opened, and a figure dressed in black quietly slipped inside. He walked straight toward Ziye's bed, glanced at the sleeping Ziye, then reached out to grab him by the throat!

Smack!

Suddenly, an unexpected hand knocked the black-clad man's attack aside!

"T tien Shinhan, why is it you?"

"Why are you stopping me?"

Recognizing the person before him, the black-clad man lowered his voice as much as possible and asked.

"Master, leave this guy to me. I want to deal with him in the ring!" Tien Shinhan whispered.

"No. This man killed my younger brother. I have to kill him tonight!" The Crane Hermit shook his head and flatly refused.

"But you can't kill me!" Ziye suddenly opened his eyes and said coldly.

Tien Shinhan and the Crane Hermit's expressions changed at once, and they quickly retreated. At the same time, Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha woke up, sprang to their feet, and surrounded the Crane Hermit.

"You?"

"I can't believe you'd stoop so low as to sneak in and attack us in the middle of the night!" Goku frowned and said angrily.

"I'll avenge my younger brother, Tao Pai Pai, tonight!"

The Crane Hermit knitted his brows and spoke with fury. Then he leaped toward Ziye and attacked!

"You'll need the skill to back that up!"

Ziye replied disdainfully. He moved like a ghost, and before the Crane Hermit could even land, he sent him flying straight into the wall with a heavy crash!

"S-so fast!"

Tien Shinhan's expression changed dramatically. He had meant to stop the Crane Hermit, but before he could even act, his teacher had already been defeated!

"D-damn it! How is this kid so strong?" The Crane Hermit cursed, enduring the pain in his chest as he struggled to his feet.

"Kid, try this!"

"Bring it on!"

As the Crane Hermit readied himself to attack again, Ziye looked at him with disdain.

Bang!

The Crane Hermit pulled two smoke bombs from his pocket and hurled them onto the floor. Smoke immediately filled the room, blinding everyone!

"Damn it, he got away!"

When the smoke cleared, the Crane Hermit was nowhere to be seen. Yamcha frowned in frustration.

"What happened?"

Just then, Master Roshi, Bulma, and the others came running over from the next room after hearing the commotion!

"Master Mutten, those despicable guys must have been afraid of losing to us, so they came to attack us in the middle of the night. Too bad the Crane Hermit got away!" Krillin clenched his fists and explained indignantly.

"What? I can't believe they'd stoop so low!" Bulma exclaimed.

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not afraid of you! Master Crane Hermit only did this because this kid killed his younger brother and he couldn't control his anger!" Tien Shinhan argued, pointing at Ziye.

"Hmph, your teacher ran off and left you behind, and you're still defending him? That's ridiculous!" Yamcha mocked.

"You think you can stop me?" Tien Shinhan said defiantly, though he wasn't so sure of himself. After all, Ziye had just demonstrated a level of strength far beyond his own!

"Tien Shinhan, you can go."

Ziye suddenly spoke up.

"You're letting me go?"

Tien Shinhan was taken aback by this and asked in confusion.

"That's right!"

"I wasn't asleep just now. I saw you stop the Crane Hermit, and I don't think you're a bad person!"

"But there's something I need to warn you about. You and your teacher aren't cut from the same cloth. He's a rotten man, unworthy of the martial arts. If you keep following him, he'll ruin you sooner or later!"

With that, Ziye had Goku and the others step aside to let Tien Shinhan through. Tien Shinhan didn't hesitate; he turned and left the room.

"Yamcha, I'll help you get revenge in the tournament!" Ziye said as he walked over to Yamcha.

"It's no big deal. I've forgotten all about it. If Tien Shinhan really is the way you say, then let's forget about revenge. I was simply outmatched, after all!" Yamcha said with an awkward smile, scratching his head.

The next day.

After breakfast, Ziye and the others arrived early at the World Martial Arts Tournament venue. The crowd was just as lively as ever, and with Goku's opponent drawing attention, plenty of reporters and girls had shown up too!

Ziye and the others were chatting happily when a group of pretty girls rushed over and surrounded them. What made Ziye even more annoyed was that one of the girls was getting handsy with him, sneaking a feel whenever she could!

"Such a cute bald head! I saw your match. You were incredible!"

"Your spiky hair is so sexy! And you even have a tail. I love it!"

"Ziye, you're so handsome, and you're such a good fighter! You're definitely going to be champion again this year!"

"Could you sign something for us and take a picture?"

Seeing Ziye and the other two surrounded by so many beautiful women, Master Roshi watched with envy. But none of the girls nearby would give him the time of day, which infuriated him. Bulma, standing beside him, looked ready to kill!

"Ahem..."

"Ziye, Goku, Krillin, I'm going to spar with you today! Let's see if your skills have gotten rusty!" Master Roshi said, clearing his throat.

"Sure, Master. I'll go first!"

Seeing his chance, Ziye quickly pried away the hand that had been groping him, then squeezed out of the crowd and volunteered eagerly.

"Huh? Well..."

"Kid, be careful."

Master Roshi leaned toward Ziye's ear and whispered.

"Don't worry, Master!"

Ziye smiled, made an OK sign, and launched his attack!

Of course, Ziye didn't use his full strength. His punches looked dazzling, but any real martial artist would spot the flaws at a glance. Still, they were highly entertaining to watch. Master Roshi clearly thought so too, and answered with his coolest moves, parrying Ziye's attacks!

"Ziye's amazing!"

"That old man is amazing too!"

A number of beautiful women rushed over with cameras and autograph books and crowded around Master Roshi. Some of them didn't even mind him feeling them up. Seeing that, Ziye finally let out a sigh of relief. He could only think that women who idolized celebrities were truly terrifying!