No Match for Thugs

As he watched his teacher leave, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared beside Yang Tian.

"You should listen to your teacher. He's a good teacher!"

The middle-aged man looked at Yang Tian and spoke calmly.

Yang Tian was startled for a moment, then bowed respectfully.

After all, this was the Holy City, where even Radiant Knights and Temple Knights were a common sight.

There were many powerful people here.

"Sir Knight, could you please tell me why my teacher wants me to stay?"

Yang Tian did not know, so he needed someone to clear up his confusion.

"For your sake, he apparently took an axe blow to the back from a Seventh-Rank Battle King. He brought you here through the night, and only after handing you over to the Holy Knight Commander did he collapse!"

"Moreover, he charged straight through the Holy City on his mount without any military orders. You should know that this is the seat of government for the Six Great Temples!"

"Even we knights aren't allowed to do that. It's disrespectful to the other temples!"

"That offense alone would be enough to put an ordinary person through hell. But the temple hasn't passed judgment yet. It seems that has something to do with you!"

The middle-aged knight spoke calmly.

He respected men who dared to act and take responsibility, and Ye Hua was one of them.

Even though Ye Hua was only at the fifth rank, rank made no difference when a knight's honor was concerned.

"Thank you for telling me!"

Yang Tian's heart ached as he listened, and he bowed to the knight.

He had already decided that whatever the punishment was, he would bear it in his teacher's place.

Yang Tian looked in the direction Ye Hua had left, engraving this kindness on his heart. Teacher, you've done so much for me. Thank you!

When he looked again, the knight had vanished.

His task was to protect Yang Tian, but he also hoped Yang Tian would stay.

Anyone the Holy Knight Commander valued so highly was bound to be extraordinary. Although he could not sense any spiritual power from Yang Tian, his instincts told him the boy was destined for greater things.

Those words also caused Yang Tian's resolve to waver slightly.

He headed outside. This was his first visit to the Holy City.

Naturally, he wanted to see the sights.

The heavy training equipment excited Yang Tian, but in his current condition, he could not even finish a single lap.

The gentle Weakwater Cardinal had also stressed that he must avoid strenuous exercise.

As he walked, he somehow found his way onto the streets of the Holy City.

The streets were so wide that they genuinely stunned him. Horses and carriages moved in orderly fashion, and the city was well managed.

Walking through the bustling city and feeling the crowds passing around him, everything felt so real.

But wherever there were people, there were also disputes.

"You're not allowed to bully my little sister!"

"Heh, we're not just going to bully her. We're going to beat you up too!"

A burst of voices reached him.

There were several boys and a girl who looked to be in her early teens.

One boy shielded the girl behind him. He was clearly her older brother.

Seeing this, Yang Tian quickened his pace toward them.

"Do you really think it's right for so many of you to gang up on just one or two people?"

"If you think you're so tough, go fight the Demon Race. You'd probably piss yourselves in terror! All you can do is pick fights with your own people!"

Yang Tian's words were as blunt as ever, but they still made perfect sense.

As a knight, he would act in the name of justice!

The Temple Knight following Yang Tian also noticed many virtues in him.

First came his rare perseverance, followed by compassion, courage, humility, honesty...

Aside from sacrifice and a few other virtues he had yet to see, this child was practically a born knight.

"Where did this brat come from? You look like a stiff breeze could knock you over. Stay out of this, or we'll beat you up too!"

The tallest boy stepped forward and threatened Yang Tian.

The fact that they had not attacked yet showed how well the Holy City was governed. People did not simply start beating others at will.

"Hmph! If I see injustice, of course I'll step in!"

Yang Tian snorted and replied bluntly.

Even without spiritual power, he should still be able to handle a few thugs.

But reality told him not to be too confident. Confidence was a good thing, but too much of it became something else entirely.

"You two, teach this dumbass a lesson for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong!"

The tall boy ordered two of his lackeys forward.

The two boys approached with clubs in hand, grinning like hooligans.

"You nosy fucking idiot!"

"We'll beat your face into a pig's!"

After hurling those insults, the two boys attacked.

Clubs came at him from both sides. Yang Tian tried to open his Space Bracelet, but he had no spiritual power.

With no weapon either, he suddenly felt rather ridiculous.

He raised his arms to block, and after several blows, pain throbbed through them.

His body was still too weak.

"You knew you'd only just recovered, yet you still had to play the hero. There are countless incidents like this. Can you deal with them all?" Li Jie shook his head helplessly.

Then he revealed himself, and a surge of powerful spiritual power knocked the boys back.

"Get lost, or I'll lock you up for a few months and let you get a taste of punishment!"

After cowing the boys, Li Jie barked at them.

Their leader fled in panic with his lackeys.

They had never expected bullying an ordinary person to draw a knight's attention. Fortunately, he had not pursued the matter.

"Thank you for stepping in, Sir Knight!"

Yang Tian thanked him, though this also seemed to confirm that the middle-aged knight had been protecting him from the shadows all along.

Then Yang Tian asked, "Does the Alliance usually ignore things like this?"

"Heh, there are so many injustices in this world. As long as no one dies, the Alliance doesn't need to devote so much effort to dealing with them."

"After all, our priorities now are the front lines and nurturing talent."

"Perhaps you're right. Those people should be conscripted and sent to fight the Demon Race!"

The middle-aged knight spoke lightly, as though discussing something utterly mundane.

Yang Tian nodded. The reasoning was sound, but to encounter something like this and still do nothing would truly be turning a blind eye.

"Th-thank you!"

The boy came over with his little sister and thanked them.

"You're welcome. This gentleman was the one who helped you. I didn't do much!"

Yang Tian spoke plainly. That was simply his personality, though he did not know whether people would like him for it.

Even Li Xin did not seem to like it much, but he thought it was fine.

Then he left.

His arms had taken several blows. His old injuries had barely healed before he gained new ones.

He did not continue exploring. Without a weapon or spiritual power, it seemed he really could not do anything.

He returned to the temple and lay down on his bed.

With both hands behind his head, Yang Tian stared blankly at the ceiling.

His injuries this time had been far too severe. He had never expected to lose more than ten days.

"If I remain an ordinary person like this forever, perhaps life will be very dull!"

Yang Tian murmured to himself. After that outing, he felt as though he could do nothing at all.

Normally, even without spiritual power, he could still have handled a few thugs.

But he had only just recovered, and his body was at its weakest.

Still, could Yang Tian accept that?

If he became an ordinary person, life would lose so much of its color. He had only recently awakened his internal spiritual power, yet now he was about to lose everything.

Perhaps this experience would also make him cherish what he had more in the future.

Two days later.

At last, the Holy Knight Commander returned, bringing with him a gold-robed priest-a sage-level priest!

Thank you to Xiangru Yimo for the donation, and thank you all for your recommendation votes and monthly votes. My Divine Seal Knights of monthly votes and recommendation votes, I'm endlessly grateful!

I caught a cold today... Going to bed early!