The sudden appearance of the City Lord's Guard drastically altered the dynamic. Zhao Wei, despite his fury, knew better than to openly defy the Martial Master guards representing the city's authority. Thinking quickly, he decided to play the victim.
Clutching his injured side dramatically, Zhao Wei didn't hesitate and immediately addressed the guards. "Look at my injury!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards his ribs. "This bastard," he pointed an accusing finger at Bai Yu, "attacked me out of nowhere! Viciously! Please, detain him for assault!"
One of the guards, a burly man with a stern face, frowned, his gaze hardening as he looked towards Bai Yu. "Is this true?" he demanded, his voice carrying the weight of his Martial Master cultivation.
Before Bai Yu could respond, the other guard, slightly leaner with sharper eyes, looked to the side and noticed the small, battered child slowly trying to push himself up from the ground, wincing in pain. "Wait," the second guard interrupted his partner, his attention shifting. "What happened with the child?"
All eyes turned to the boy. Despite his fear and pain, the child saw the guards' emblem and perhaps sensed a chance for justice. He struggled to stand up, tears streaming down his dirty face, mixing with grime and blood. With a sobbing voice, hiccuping between words, the child recounted how Zhao Wei had mercilessly beaten him simply for begging, and how the "white-haired big brother" had stepped in and saved him. He pointed a trembling finger first at Zhao Wei, then gratefully towards Bai Yu.
As the child spoke, the eyes of the two guards grew progressively colder, their initial suspicion towards Bai Yu vanishing, replaced by icy disapproval directed squarely at Zhao Wei. The first guard, who had initially questioned Bai Yu, now glared at Zhao Wei with palpable anger.
"Zhao Wei!" he roared, his voice booming, making several onlookers flinch. "Do you have even an ounce of respect for the Laws the City Lord established?! Assaulting a kid in broad daylight? Bringing shame upon your clan's name!"
The other guard spoke in a dangerously cold voice. "You will come with us. We'll sort this out at the Guard headquarters."
Outrage flared on Zhao Wei's face. He had expected the guards to defer to his status, or at least be intimidated. "Do you even know who I am?!" he roared back in anger. "I am Zhao Wei! My father is the Patriarch of the Zhao Clan, one of the three great clans!"
The guards remained utterly unfazed. They didn't show any reaction to the name-dropping. The first guard stated flatly, "We don't care who your father is right now. You violated the city's laws. You will come with us peacefully, or we will compel you. You'll have to wait for an elder from your clan to come and collect you, after the matter is properly recorded."
Before Zhao Wei could spew further threats, the guards moved with blurring speed. Despite Zhao Wei trying to struggle futilely, channeling his Qi, he was effortlessly subdued by the two Martial Masters. They quickly took him into custody and, with another burst of speed, vanished down the street, leaving a stunned silence in their wake.
The street grew silent. The tension dissipated, replaced by murmurs of approval for the guards' actions and renewed, curious glances towards Bai Yu.
Bai Yu approached the injured kid, who looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. Bai Yu knelt down slightly and dropped a single, shining gold coin into the boy's trembling hand. It felt heavy after handling the lighter silver and copper most beggars received.
"Buy yourself some medicine and food with this," Bai Yu said softly, his earlier coldness gone, replaced by a touch of sympathy. And just as quickly as he had appeared beside Zhao Wei, he vanished into the crowd, utilizing his Azure Cloud Steps to depart discreetly before becoming the center of further attention.
A single gold coin was a significant sum. The pills he had just bought cost around 20 gold coins in total, meaning to give one gold coin freely to the boy was indeed a truly gracious act. Considering the monthly allowance he received from the clan was only around 30 gold coins, it was a substantial portion of his personal funds.
Leaving the scene behind, Bai Yu made his way back towards the Bai Clan estate. He felt a grim satisfaction about Zhao Wei's detainment but also a renewed urgency to increase his own strength. He entered the familiar gates and headed straight for his courtyard.
To his surprise, his father, the Patriarch Bai Feng, sat there meditating on the very cushion Bai Yu had used the previous night. As Bai Yu arrived, Bai Feng opened his eyes, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He immediately started laughing, a deep, rumbling sound filled with genuine amusement and pride. "Haha! That's my son! News travels fast in this city. I already heard you had a 'small battle' with that Zhao brat Wei. And not only did you stand up to him, you managed to land a solid hit and break his ribs! Good job!" He slapped his knee, clearly happy and impressed by his son's actions and newfound capabilities.
They conversed easily for about 30 minutes, Bai Yu recounting the events and Bai Feng offering insights into the city's political dynamics and the likely fallout from Zhao Wei's public humiliation and detainment.
Finally, Bai Feng's expression shifted slightly, becoming more focused. He arrived at the main point of his visit. "Alright, enough talk about clan politics for now." He stood up, his aura subtly asserting itself, not oppressively, but with instructional intent. "Show me your martial arts. Let me see how you're handling those techniques you chose. I will help you refine them a little bit."