Chapter 159: Without Precepts

The blazing blood-red flames that had been surging around Li Changluo slowly extinguished as the old man stopped his attack.

Those flames were swallowed up all at once by the fruit knife tucked into Li Changluo's waistband, just as if they were a beverage.

On the handle of the fruit knife, there had originally been two wisps of light—one black and one white. As the flames were completely absorbed, the black wisp gradually turned red...

A stark, blood red.

"Old man, I know who you are now..."

Without this layer of flames enveloping him, Li Changluo suddenly felt a deep panic in his heart.

My cheat mode time is up; I need to admit defeat and back down...

I definitely don't want to act like a ferocious big bad wolf only to receive the most brutal beating...

Those who adapt to circumstances are wise men—this had always been Li Changluo's golden rule for staying alive. At least in this world fraught with danger on all sides, preserving one's life was paramount.

Pride, showing off—can they fill your stomach, or can they buy you more time?

"Knowing now is still too late. Today, this old man is going to broaden your horizons..."

With that, the old man smiled at Li Changluo and then suddenly vanished from the tavern...

He genuinely disappeared into thin air, vanishing without the slightest warning.

He ran away?

"Sigh, I'm so exhausted. Having an aura that's too overwhelming is also a burden. I originally wanted a hearty, straightforward fight, but this directly scared the opponent away. You tell me, isn't that infuriating?"

Seeing that the old man had disappeared, Li Changluo complained with utter helplessness to Blackie, who was hiding behind him and still smoking faintly.

He wanted to broaden *my* horizons?

Running away with such terrifying speed...

Well, I suppose that *did* broaden my horizons...

"Li, watch out..."

Yet Blackie pointed behind Li Changluo and shouted in anxious alarm...

Li Changluo was still hopelessly lost in his own narcissism, but upon seeing Blackie's panicked expression, he hurriedly turned around to look...

The seven or eight baseball bats that had just fallen to the floor suddenly flew up into the air out of nowhere, aiming themselves collectively at Li Changluo and Blackie...

And came flying straight at them...

Moving with such velocity that Li Changluo didn't even have time to dodge, he could only raise his hands by sheer instinct to block...

The baseball bats clattered noisily to the floor...

"Li, I feel like this world is truly so unfair..."

"Blackie, are you in a lot of pain?"

Blackie stared blankly at Li Changluo and the ice-blue armor emitting a chilly mist on his body, then touched the swelling on his own head that had been knocked black and shiny by a baseball bat...

He looked at Li Changluo with profound resentment.

However, before the two of them could even react, objects inside the tavern began flying toward them continuously out of thin air...

Chairs, tables...

Flower pots, wooden shelves...

Sharp kitchen knives...

And even several monsters, shrieking as they were hurled out of nowhere...

Li Changluo and Blackie ran in a flurry, dodging these incoming missiles...

"Li, stop running with me, I'm begging you. Just let me fend for myself; I prefer to be alone..."

Seeing Li Changluo sharing weal and woe by fleeing alongside him, Blackie was utterly astonished...

You clearly could have relied on your armor to avoid disaster, why on earth are you running away with me?

Running away is one thing...

The crucial point is that all those things aimed at you ended up hitting *me* instead...

You have armor and aren't afraid, but what about me?

"No, Blackie, we are good brothers. Even when running for our lives, we must face it together. How could I possibly leave you to face this danger alone?"

Li Changluo flatly refused Blackie's unreasonable request.

"............"

Blackie was moved to tears.

Yet, as he ran, Li Changluo suddenly felt this scene was far too familiar...

The old man went invisible and launched sneak attacks from the shadows—didn't I just capture a monster that possessed this exact special skill?

Even though I'm wearing armor and not afraid of this old man's ambush, if things keep going like this...

When the tavern keeper comes back and sees this mess, will she smile gently at me while driving a knife into my back?

As a member of the tavern, I can absolutely not stand idly by and do nothing!

Thinking of this, Li Changluo abruptly stopped running, which made Blackie let out a sigh of relief.

The moment Blackie saw Li Changluo halt his steps, a barrage of objects came hurtling toward him. Fortunately, he was a monster; if it had been an ordinary human, they probably would have been crushed to death several times over by now...

It seemed the old man was truly out for blood...

Only, what the old man didn't know was that his mental state had completely broken down by this point...

Fire burning? Couldn't burn you...

Planning to turn invisible and ambush you...

You fucking went and put on a full suit of armor...

And talking about broadening your horizons—looking pathetic, losing face, completely humiliating himself of his old age...

Hiding invisibly in the dark, he had become somewhat deranged, grabbing whatever was near him and hurling it at Li Changluo, having entirely lost his rationality...

"Summoned Beast—Pig Leftover!!!"

Li Changluo stood his ground as items continuously smashed against him. Although protected by the armor, his body was still inevitably rocked and shaken by the impacts, nearly stumbling to the ground several times...

The debris hurled at him had already piled up into a small mountain around him...

Li Changluo wanted to call out the monster he had just subdued to help, but he had forgotten to ask how to summon it, so he could only mimic the techniques from Japanese anime...

He slammed one palm onto the ground, striking a posture he thought looked very dashing for a summoning sequence...

Yet...

Apart from the ever-growing pile of debris crashing around him, the surroundings remained completely unchanged...

"Pig Leftover!!!"
"Pig Leftover, get your ass out here..."
"Pig Leftover, dinner is served!!!"

Li Changluo shouted angrily, cursing that little Peppa Pig...

"Master, did you call for me?"

Just as Li Changluo was shouting for Pig Leftover to come out for dinner, a little hat suddenly appeared before his eyes...

The little pink pig was half-squatting right in front of Li Changluo, asking respectfully.

Li Changluo stared blankly at the pig in front of him, suddenly feeling that...

This was just too damn casual...

Why did this summoning chant sound like he was feeding livestock?

Debris was still flying continuously through the air around them; Li Changluo stood while Pig Leftover knelt on one knee...

"Go on, make him quiet down..."

Not knowing how to instruct Pig Leftover, Li Changluo simply tried saying whatever came to mind. He didn't hold high hopes for the combat capability of this small, pink pig—barbecue was probably the only thing worth considering...

"Yes, Master!"
"Master, I've brought you the person you were looking for. I've already tied him up."

Yet, in the blink of an eye, Li Changluo saw an extra figure appear before him. Pig Leftover was holding a rope, and the other end of the rope was tied securely around the old man...

The old man's eyes were bloodshot and his expression was twisted in utter fury...

Li Changluo was still lost in thoughts about how to roast a pig and whether he should brush some honey on it when this scene suddenly materialized before him, startling him so much that he took two steps back and nearly tumbled to the ground...

"Pig Leftover, can you give me a little warning beforehand?"

Li Changluo asked very earnestly, looking down at the pig kneeling on one knee.

"Understood, Master," Pig Leftover replied respectfully.

"Pig Leftover?"
"Lord Wujie, why are you..."

Meanwhile, the emotionally shattered old man seemed to slowly awaken from his crazed state. Staring at the little Peppa Pig before him...

He actually sank straight to his knees right in front of it...