"Oh," Yan Jiu said. "Sorry, I really didn't know. I'll readily admit I don't know much about this sort of thing. I had no idea who you people were or what gave you the right to stop someone and demand his spoils so brazenly."
The crowd: He's insulting them, isn't he?
The middle-aged man the young man had called "Uncle Quan"—the one who had first approached Yan Jiu to talk things over—cupped his hands. "We're from the Lu Family."
Yan Jiu raised an eyebrow. From the way the man said it, he seemed to think that was all anyone needed to hear. Unfortunately, Yan Jiu didn't understand. In a tone practically designed to get himself punched, he asked, "And?"
Uncle Quan fell silent. Perhaps he was getting old. He was used to people backing off the moment he identified himself as a member of the Lu Family. Even if the family hadn't raised these Demon Beasts, once they laid claim to them, everyone understood the beasts were as good as theirs.
Yan Jiu genuinely didn't know their reputation. He did know what the surname Lu meant, though, so whether these people were polite made little difference. They had been destined to stand on opposite sides from the start.
Yan Jiu turned and walked away, ignoring whatever argument broke out behind him.
Uncle Quan knew how to deal with people and didn't want to offend anyone needlessly, but he had the Lu Family's pride. Yan Jiu's utter disregard for them enraged not only the young man who had been shouting but Uncle Quan as well.
To Uncle Quan, Yan Jiu simply didn't know his place. Anyone who dared take a Demon Beast from the Lu Family was either deliberately opposing them or had no idea what their name meant. Neither possibility