Fighting was forbidden in the Lotus Tavern. The clerk, however, had a grudge against Austin and
wanted him to become a laughingstock, so he decided to look on and do nothing. He would overlook
the situation as long as that bastard was taught a lesson.
Austin sighed with profound resignation. 'I just want to have a peaceful meal here. Why are these
people so annoying? Can't a man get a break?'
He acted calm, but he was waiting for their next move.
One of the three servants behind the young man sauntered towards Austin. In his eyes, Austin was
merely a poor young man from a small town. It would surely be a piece of cake to teach this guy a
lesson.
"Hey, brat. You should remember to be more respectful to our young master," the servant said with an
evil smile.
When he was about five feet away from Austin, the latter stood up from his seat and all of a sudden,
reached out his left hand to grab his collar. He attacked his internal organs with strong vital energy
force.
The servant was drained of color. His four limbs relaxed and his heartbeat became extremely painful.
He wanted to struggle, but he had no strength at all. His strength left his body!
He was at about level seven of Energy Gathering Realm. He thought he was already a somebody, but
it turned out that he had underestimated Austin greatly.
Austin reached out his right palm.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
The sound of slaps reverberated through the tavern. The servant passed out, and his face became
black and blue.
Austin waved his arm and sent the servant flying backward. He slammed onto a table where the young
man and the young woman sat. The dishes were smashed into pieces, and the all the food flew
everywhere. The woman named Sissy became covered with disgusting grease and some vegetable
leaves. The remains of the food landed on her head. The broth streamed down her cheeks.
"Aaaaaargh! What the hell!"
Sissy yelled at the top of her lungs.
"I swear I will kill you! You are dead meat! You bastard! You will surely pay for this! No one can save
you!"
roared the young man as he wiped the grease off his face. He was absolutely livid.
"Kill him!" he ordered his other two servants.
They both sprang to their feet, drawing a broadsword. They swore to themselves that they would chop
the bastard into ten thousand pieces and make him pay.
Calmly, Austin carried out the Violet Royal Sword. It gave out a dozen streaks of sword-lights. The
servants' arms that held the broadswords were cut off by the sword-light. The broadswords were then
cut into several pieces and were scattered on the floor.
Austin dashed towards his opponents and threw two punches at them.
Bang! Bang!
The two servants flew out the Lotus Tavern through the window of the second floor. They were thrown
into the street!
All of the three servants were at about level seven of Energy Gathering Realm. They could never
withstand Austin's single blow.
The young man and his companions dampened his day. Austin was very annoyed, so he decided to
teach them a lesson.
He walked towards their table and stood behind the young man.
"Why not keep your companions company? Don't just stay here and be a killjoy. You should take part in
this too."
When he was finished speaking, he threw another two punches and sent the young man and Sissy
flying out the window.
"Great! Finally! I can have my meal now."
Satisfied, Austin clapped his hands and sat back in his seat. He decided to continue to read the menu,
so he could finally order and eat. . . .
Meanwhile, two men sat at another table on the second floor. One was a handsome young man, while
the other was a middle-aged man with a pair of sharp eyes.
"Matt, what do you think of the young man's cultivation base and strength?" the young man asked his
companion.
"Young Master, he tried to disguise his true cultivation base when he fought them. However, I could still
tell from the fluctuation of his vital energy that he must have reached the preliminary stage of Earth
Realm already," Matt answered.
"Preliminary stage of Earth Realm!"
exclaimed the young man in disbelief.
"He looks very young. I guess he's no more than 17. How could he possibly reach the preliminary stage
of Earth Realm? Unbelievable!"
"Exactly! Besides, judging from his punches, he has a remarkable physical strength. I guess his single
punch would equal to 1, 000 pounds.
Based on the swordsmanship that he just used, he has already comprehended the sword intent. Its
level should be above level 1," Matt said in a whisper.
The young man's jaw dropped and he stared at Austin in awe. It was as if he were some monster. 'Is
this ordinary-looking guy really that strong?' he mused.
Nevertheless, he never doubted Matt's judgment. Matt was an experienced cultivator, and he seldom
bet on the wrong horse. His judgment was never wrong.
That was the reason why he depended on Matt's companionship and respected him deeply.
"Matt, this guy is exactly the person I've been looking for. I think we should make friends with him. With
his help, I'll stand a good chance in competing for my father's position."
"I guess so. He's about 16 or 17. He has reached the preliminary stage of Earth Realm in such a young
age. He is talented in cultivation. You won't regret making him your friend, Young Master. Now's your
time. Jump at the chance!" said Matt.
The young man nodded and was about to stand up. . . . .
However, a group of people stormed up the stairs and walked towards Austin all of a sudden. The clerk
was one of them.
"Sir, this is the guy! He started a fight and injured our other guests."
The clerk stepped forward and pointed at Austin.
When he saw Austin defeat the young man and his companions and throw them out of the window, he
sneaked out and tattled on Austin to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper fumed with rage when he heard about the fight. He immediately came to Austin with
several security guards.
"Little brat, how dare you make a fuss in the Lotus Tavern! You not only injured our guests, but also
destroyed our property.
Do you know who's behind our tavern? Do you know our boss?
You can't afford to offend him!"
Actually, Austin had only damaged a table and a window. It surely did not cost that much. What really
made the shopkeeper angry was that Austin stirred up trouble in the tavern.
Austin stared at the shopkeeper with a sneer. He was waiting for his next move.
He didn't plan to apologize. He was not the one who started the fight.
The shopkeeper got even angrier when he saw Austin's reaction. He thought Austin would panic and
beg him for mercy. The truth was, Austin was calm and composed—he didn't give a damn what these
people think.
"How dare you! If you don't compensate and apologize to us, you won't be able to leave!" the
shopkeeper threatened him.
He gestured to the guards, and they surrounded Austin. They were about to beat him up. . . . .
"Excuse me, sir. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
said the middle-aged man as he came up to the shopkeeper. He was tall and lean, and his eyes were
as sharp as those of a falcon.
"Sir, what do you want?" the shopkeeper asked politely.
The middle-aged man took out a plate and showed it to the shopkeeper. Then he immediately replaced
it in his pocket so the others didn't see what it was.
The shopkeeper's face changed dramatically at the sight of the plate. He bowed respectfully at the
middle-aged man with a flattering smile. He was eager to please him at all cost.
The middle-aged man led the shopkeeper to a corner and whispered something in his ear. The
shopkeeper nodded repeatedly at him.
After their discussion, the shopkeeper came up to Austin with a broad smile.
"Sir, I'm so sorry. There must be some misunderstanding. Please accept my sincere apology. I hope
you could forgive us.
Sir, please order whatever you like to eat in the menu. We assure you that you'll enjoy your meal and
your stay here. Guys, let's go."
After talking to Austin, the shopkeeper left with the guards. He left the clerk to serve Austin.
Before the shopkeeper left, he cast a warning glance at the clerk and demanded, "You must apologize
to our distinguished guest sincerely. If he is not satisfied with you, your life will be in danger!"
The clerk's face soured at the threat. He had no idea why the shopkeeper's attitude changed
completely. The only thing he could understand now was that he couldn't afford to offend Austin.
Recalling how the shopkeeper dealt with his colleagues who made mistakes, he deeply regretted
offending Austin. 'I was such an idiot! Why did I have to mess with him?'
"Sir, it was all my fault. I should have stopped them from arguing with you. Sir, please forgive me."
Austin sat back in his seat and snorted.
The clerk was frightened to death because he was afraid that Austin wouldn't forgive him.
"Sir, please don't be mad at me. I was such a jerk. Sir, I have a large family! They all depend on me.
Sir, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again. Please forgive me."
The clerk even started slapping himself across the face.
Austin's anger faded away. He wondered who the middle-aged man was. After all, the shopkeeper
apparently respected him very much.
"Okay. Stop slapping yourself. Do not act like a jerk again!"
Austin's cold voice was like a melodious song to the clerk. He thanked Austin again and again.
At that moment, the middle-aged man came up to Austin.
Since he didn't bore any ill will, Austin just sat there and waited for him to speak up.
"Young man, our young master admires you a lot. He invites you to have a meal together," he said in a
polite manner.
"Sure. Why not?"
Austin accepted his offer without any hesitation. He decided to follow after him. He was a little
surprised to see the handsome young man, then sat opposite him.
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