Chapter 71: Prank
Sending Yu Wei flying with a single punch, Long Ao shot forward again.
"Long Ao, that is enough."
Hearing Ouyang Feng's words, Long Ao stopped in his tracks, though his heart seethed with unwillingness. No matter what, this was still the territory of the Nebula Royal Family.
"He who bullies others will be bullied in turn. You'd best not provoke me in the future. Otherwise, no one will be able to protect you."
Yu Wei, who had been sent flying by the punch, didn't press the attack. He just stood there, stunned, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
"Hahaha, Brother Long, come with me."
Seeing Long Ao defeat Yu Wei, Tang Lin laughed as if he'd just discovered a priceless treasure. He completely ignored the shocked gazes from all around, grabbed Long Ao's hand, and walked with him side-by-side into the National Protection Hall.
"Brother Yu, defeat is a common occurrence in a warrior's life. Don't take it too hard." Mao Feng was also deeply shocked. He never imagined that this person could actually defeat Yu Wei.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it. A One-Line Heaven Martial Artist defeating an Evolutionary Martial Artist? And sending him flying with a single punch? 'Is this really happening?'
"Mao Feng, I will have my revenge for this."
Inside the National Protection Hall, Tang Lin led Long Ao and the other members directly into the main hall. Even the Kingdom's Emperor followed them inside.
"Brother Long, I truly never expected your strength would be enough to defeat Brother Yu. Given your talent and potential, you'll surely become a Unity Powerhouse in less than ten years."
Ouyang Feng also seemed a bit surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected Tang Lin's evaluation of the young man to be so high. 'Ten years. For a Martial Artist, ten years pass in the blink of an eye.'
Long Ao just smiled wryly and said nothing. In the end, he knew that being able to send his opponent flying with a single punch was largely due to luck.
The truth was, during his fight with Yu Wei, Long Ao had silently infused the Soul-Sealing Seal into his fists. Yu Wei had been careless and was struck by the Soul-Sealing Seal. His soul was suppressed, which was why he was sent flying by that single punch.
Long Ao was well aware that under normal circumstances, defeating an Evolutionary Martial Artist was no easy feat. Defeating a *powerful* Evolutionary Martial Artist was even more difficult.
'The Soul-Sealing Seal, also known as the Destruction Seal Technique, is truly a heaven-defying Martial Art.' After all, without the Destruction Seal Technique, it would have been impossible to defeat an Evolutionary Martial Artist, even by a fluke. Luck was important, but Martial Arts and strength were even more so.
"Brother Long, I'll ask you now, are you willing to become a member of the National Protection Hall?"
"I am willing."
Tang Lin's face was filled with admiration. He nodded and said, "In that case, from this moment on, you are an official member of the National Protection Hall."
"Hahaha, Nephew Long Ao, if you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to come find me."
Looking at Tang Lin and Ouyang Feng, everyone felt a deep sense of helplessness. They all knew that the two most powerful figures in the Nebula Kingdom held this young man in extremely high regard.
Next, Tang Lin gave Long Ao a tour to familiarize him with the National Protection Hall. Both Tang Lin and Ouyang Feng had hoped Long Ao would live with the Nebula Royal Family, but Long Ao refused them outright.
Leaving the Nebula Royal Family, Long Ao felt no joy whatsoever, not even after defeating Long Ming and Yu Wei, both of whom had reached the Evolution Realm in their Cultivation.
Long Ao knew with certainty that he could only defeat Evolutionary Martial Artists with ease once his own Cultivation broke through to the Evolution Realm. Otherwise, if he encountered others, he couldn't guarantee victory every time.
"Are you Long Ao?"
Looking at the child who had appeared before him, Long Ao was quite curious. He nodded and asked, "Yes, I'm Long Ao. Do you need me for something?"
"Yeah. Someone just gave me a letter and told me to give it to you."
Long Ao's curiosity grew. He took the letter from the boy's hand and gave him a Gold Coin in return.
He opened the letter. After a single glance, his expression changed drastically, his face contorting with rage. The letter stated that they had captured Long Yi and Mu Lin. If he couldn't get back to Red Fire Town in Thundercloud City within three days, Long Yi and Mu Lin would become two corpses.
'It's unsigned. Who could have sent this?'
Long Ao forcibly suppressed the fury in his heart. Several enemies immediately came to mind. 'The Fifth Level Long Family? The Miao Family from Nebula City? The Long Family from Thundercloud City?'
Long Ao knew that no matter who was behind this, he couldn't let anything happen to his parents. And so, having just left the Nebula Royal Family, Long Ao immediately set off for Thundercloud City.
「Two days later.」
Thundercloud City, Red Fire Town, the Long Family estate.
"Seventh Brother? Seventh Brother, you're back? Seventh Brother is back! Seventh Brother is back!"
The moment Long Ao stepped onto the family grounds, he heard Long'an's delighted shouts. Before long, every member of the Long Family had come out, including Long Haoshi, Long Yi, and Mu Lin.
Surprised and confused, Long Ao stared at his parents. He hurried forward and asked bluntly, "Father, Mother, are you alright?"
"Ao'er, what's wrong?" Both Long Yi and Mu Lin looked at him in confusion, asking curiously.
Long Ao handed them the letter. After Long Haoshi and the others read it, they were all baffled. Long Haoshi said, "This person is clearly targeting you, Ao'er. Can you think of who it might be?"
Long Ao shrugged helplessly. "Grandfather, I don't know who it is either. But regardless, from now on, all of you must be careful when you go out. I need to think this through."
Long Ao now understood that the letter was a cruel prank. But it also served as a stark reminder that his family's safety should be his top priority.
Before, Long Ao had always been focused on his own path and had never truly considered his family's vulnerability. A lingering fear now gripped him. If something were to happen to them, he would never have the chance to regret it.
"Ao'er, I'll ask you now, have you become a National Protection Master for the Nebula Kingdom?"
Long Ao nodded. "Yes. By the way, Grandfather, when I was coming back just now, I noticed Red Fire Town seems different. What happened?"
Long Ao was very curious. He had discovered that Red Fire Town had undergone a massive transformation and was completely different from before. In fact, the town was now dozens of times more prosperous, even rivaling Thundercloud City. That was why he had no idea what had taken place.
Long Haoshi and the others didn't seem at all surprised by the changes to Red Fire Town. "Ao'er," he said, "this is all because of you. A month ago, the Nebula Royal Family began a massive reconstruction of Red Fire Town. They've already announced to the world that our Long Family will be the masters of Red Fire Town from now on."