Meeting Everyone

When they saw Goku return to his normal form, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If someone suddenly turned into a Great Ape like that, who could possibly handle it?

Just as they were letting their guard down, they saw Jiang Yun walking toward them at an unhurried pace. Bulma and the others immediately tensed up again. This was the man who had beaten Goku while he was a Great Ape into the ground. Calling him a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration.

When Bulma saw Jiang Yun approaching and got a good look at his face, she couldn't help relaxing. What a handsome man! She immediately started swooning over him again.

Wait!

This was that monstrous man! The legends said that monsters disguised themselves as handsome men, then targeted youthful, beautiful women like her, tricked them, and ate them. The more Bulma thought about it, the more frightened she became. She hurried behind Yamcha and watched Jiang Yun with anxious eyes.

Jiang Yun had no idea what wild thoughts were running through Bulma's mind. If he had, he probably would have asked her to her face, "Have you ever seen a monster as handsome as me?"

Ugh! So full of himself!

Setting aside his own little thoughts, Jiang Yun looked at the familiar group. Of course, he knew who they were, but they didn't know him. Still, this was his first proper connection with the people of the Dragon Ball World.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Yun, a martial artist by choice!"

As he spoke, Jiang Yun thought of that bald Demon King. He had grown stronger, but he hadn't gone bald. That was certainly something to be happy about. Jiang Yun was in an especially good mood. Not only had he witnessed the protagonist's story, he had even obtained a way to travel into space.

Seeing that Jiang Yun didn't seem all that different from an ordinary person, they relaxed a little. But they still weren't completely at ease. After all, Jiang Yun's strength had just given them a huge shock. The weak naturally feared the strong, and they hadn't forgotten how easily he'd beaten Kid Goku, as if chopping vegetables.

"I mean you no harm. In fact, I'm here to help you, and I know Dr. Brief. You don't need to worry."

Jiang Yun seemed to notice their misgivings and explained. Of course, that last sentence was meant for Bulma.

"You know my dad?"

Bulma sounded both surprised and a little doubtful when she heard that Jiang Yun knew Brief.

Jiang Yun's explanation calmed them down considerably. It didn't win them over completely, but it did ease their tension.

Bulma was puzzled about how her dad knew such a young man—especially one so young—but she decided to let it slide since he was handsome. Today's events had really scared her.

It had to be said that Bulma was quite the lovesick girl at this point. With a heart full of longing for romance, she had set off in search of the Dragon Balls and met Goku along the way. That was how the wonderful Dragon Ball World came to be; the story of this world had basically begun with the Dragon Balls.

"That's right. I really admire Dr. Brief's knowledge, especially his research into space."

Jiang Yun meant it. After all, the Hoi-Poi Capsules Dr. Brief had invented were one of a kind in the world.

That technology didn't even exist in the universe. Earth hadn't even made it into space yet. If this were the Earth from his previous life, it would have been impossible. Reality wasn't a novel, after all. Before even leaving their planet, people had developed a way to store things in pocket dimensions—and even sold it everywhere.

"Good. You know what you're talking about. Hmph!" Hearing someone praise her dad made Bulma happy, as if she were the one who'd done all the work.

Looking at Bulma at this point in her life, Jiang Yun couldn't help thinking how adorable she was.

At that moment, Goku had expended less energy than he had in the original story, so he woke up earlier. As soon as he did, he sensed something was wrong. After checking himself over, he cried out, "Where's my tail? Where's my tail? Bulma, my tail's gone!"

He frantically searched around as he spoke. Just as the others were wondering how to break the news to him, he suddenly said, "Never mind. If it's gone, it's gone. I'm starving! Bulma, when's dinner?"

Everyone was stunned by how oblivious Goku was. His tail was gone, and he was still thinking about food. His words eased the tension, too.

This man had a mysterious power that put those around him at ease. Without them even realizing it, he brought everyone together, making it seem as if there were nothing he couldn't do.

Jiang Yun's strength was so incredible that Yamcha could hardly believe anyone in the world could be that powerful. The sheer force of it shook him to the core. Why had he devoted himself so relentlessly to training? Because he wanted to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. Now, he seemed to have glimpsed that pinnacle: the ability to break a mountain with a casual blow.

According to legend, the Turtle Hermit was that kind of person. Yamcha thought Jiang Yun had reached the pinnacle of martial arts just like him—and might even be stronger, since he'd beaten Goku without much effort. In truth, Yamcha's perspective was far too narrow. The potential of martial arts went far beyond this. There was no end to martial arts; who could know how vast the road ahead was? Even Jiang Yun was still pursuing the martial way.

Suddenly, Yamcha dropped to his knees and bowed!

"Master, please teach me martial arts! I want to become strong like you!"

Yamcha felt that he had encountered the greatest opportunity of his life. If he could train under a powerful man like this, he would surely become even stronger.

Jiang Yun couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. This was the very man who'd be called the God of Tea in his previous life. How could he be so lacking in dignity? Jiang Yun hadn't planned on taking disciples, at least not for now, since he was still figuring things out himself.

"Get up. I don't plan on taking disciples for the time being."

Yamcha didn't get up. He knew that in a situation like this, he had to be shameless. Otherwise, a huge opportunity might slip right past him. He kept insisting that Jiang Yun take him as a disciple, saying he wouldn't get up unless Jiang Yun agreed. It reminded Jiang Yun of the protagonists in novels from his previous life, shamelessly clinging to powerful patrons before rising to the top. Could Yamcha be the protagonist? Was Jiang Yun the old master in his ring?

The thought amused Jiang Yun. In the original story, Yamcha had become the Turtle Hermit's disciple. Jiang Yun didn't want to interfere with that connection.

"If you want to learn martial arts, you can go with Goku to ask Master Roshi to take you as a disciple. He knows what he's doing. Now stop kneeling. I won't take you as my disciple."

Yamcha had decent potential, but Jiang Yun still had no intention of taking him on. Otherwise, he'd have to spend time training a disciple, which would hardly be worth it. Besides, the Turtle Hermit could help temper Yamcha's character and keep him from becoming completely useless later on.

Yamcha seemed to realize Jiang Yun was determined. If he kept pestering him, he might only annoy him. What if Jiang Yun just slapped him to death? That would be awful. Besides, Jiang Yun was right: he could still become the Turtle Hermit's disciple. It couldn't hurt to build a good relationship with a powerful man like him.

Jiang Yun decided not to get involved in what happened next. He was eager to head back and have Dr. Brief examine the technology he'd just acquired. This was an important part of his plan!

After saying goodbye to Bulma and the others, and arranging to meet again, he hurried back...