Douluo Dalu 1: The Tang Family Rebel

By the time Yun Chuan had silently listed over a hundred crimes against Dai Mubai in his mind, the wooden puppet had beaten Dai Mubai to the point of near unrecognizability. His ribs were shattered, his bones were broken, and his entire body looked more dead than alive. His breathing was faint, with more exhaling than inhaling.

Too cruel! What kind of grudge is this?

The onlookers couldn't help but shudder. Staring at the barely breathing Dai Mubai, who was beaten to a pulp by the wooden puppet, they kept utterly silent, afraid that making any noise might draw the puppet's attention and result in them being similarly beaten.

"Please stop, stop! Esteemed Soul Master, if you continue, Young Master Dai will die!" Watching Dai Mubai teetering on the edge of death, the hotel manager finally mustered the courage to step forward and plead. It wasn't out of compassion but because he knew Dai Mubai was a student of Shrek Academy. The teachers at that academy were Soul Emperor- or Soul Saint-level experts. If one of their students were beaten to death here, the academy would likely take it out on the hotel.

If that happened, his position as manager would be finished. So, even though he risked being dragged into the situation, he had no choice but to intervene.

Thankfully, Yun Chuan, who had been relishing the beating, came to his senses after the manager's words and commanded the wooden puppet to stop. While he despised Dai Mubai, killing him outright would be too much. A good beating to vent his anger was enough.

There was no need to resort to excessive violence, especially since Yun Chuan was now a teacher at Shrek Academy. Killing a student here would be crossing the line.

Bang!

The wooden puppet tossed Dai Mubai aside like a rag doll. Covered in blood and barely alive, he looked utterly pitiful. If left there, he wouldn't last long before succumbing to his injuries.

That wouldn't do; the fun would end if he died.

As the half-dead Dai Mubai lay there, the hotel manager sighed in relief but also felt a surge of nervousness. If Dai Mubai wasn't treated immediately, he'd soon die.

A healing Soul Master was urgently needed.

Just as the hotel manager was about to instruct his staff to find one, Yun Chuan moved again. He raised his right hand, revealing a Blue Silver Grass sprouting from his palm.

What's he doing now? Is he still not satisfied and plans to beat him more? Tang San and Xiao Wu couldn't help but worry. The hotel manager's briefly eased nerves tensed again.

Sensing their concern, Yun Chuan glanced at them and casually explained, "Relax. If I wanted to kill him, he wouldn't have lasted a single move. The fun's over, and I can't let him die now."

With that, he focused on the Blue Silver Grass in his hand. A faint, emerald-green glow began to radiate from the grass. With a flick of his wrist, a single blade of the Blue Silver Grass floated gently toward the motionless Dai Mubai.

Before everyone's astonished eyes, the blade of grass merged into Dai Mubai's body. Instantly, his mangled form emitted a soft, emerald-green glow.

A refreshing, natural scent filled the room.

Involuntarily, everyone took a deep breath and felt an unparalleled sense of ease, as though they'd been transported to a pristine, untouched forest. The air was so fresh it seemed to cleanse their very bones.

Meanwhile, Dai Mubai's broken body, enveloped in the emerald light, began to heal rapidly. Swelling subsided, broken bones reconnected, and torn skin regenerated. Wounds scabbed over, then shed, revealing perfectly restored skin underneath. In mere moments, the barely recognizable Dai Mubai was as good as new.

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Such an astonishing healing ability seemed almost miraculous.

Of all present, Tang San was the most bewildered. He stared at the unassuming Blue Silver Grass in Yun Chuan's hand, then thought about his own Blue Silver Grass. The stark contrast left him in awe. Why is his Blue Silver Grass so powerful? Not only was it effective in combat, but it also had healing capabilities. A martial soul capable of fighting, supporting, and healing? Was this really just Blue Silver Grass?

"Ugh…"

A groan escaped from Dai Mubai as he slowly opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before muttering, "Where am I? I'm… not dead?"

"Alright, since you're not dead, stop pretending!" A gruff, impatient voice interrupted him.

Dai Mubai flinched instinctively and sat up. The hotel lobby was still a mess, and not far away stood the demonic figure of Yun Chuan, glaring at him with a disdainful expression. "Kid, consider yourself lucky to be a Shrek Academy student. Otherwise, you'd already be dead."

"You… healed me?" Dai Mubai looked at his blood-stained, tattered clothes and his fully restored body. It wasn't hard to deduce what had happened.

"This was just to teach you a lesson. Don't be so arrogant in the future, or you might provoke someone you can't afford to offend." Yun Chuan adopted the tone of an elder giving advice. "You should thank your lucky stars it was me. If it had been someone else, you'd already be crushed like a bug!"

"…"

Dai Mubai fell silent, his thoughts unreadable.

After a long pause, he stood up and bowed deeply.

"I've learned my lesson."

"Good. Now that you're awake, scram." Yun Chuan waved him off, then headed to the front desk. "Give me a room, and put all the damages here on that kid's tab."

The hotel staff froze momentarily before glancing at the manager, who quickly scowled at them. Understanding the unspoken command, they hurriedly handed Yun Chuan the key to the last luxury suite, bowing and scraping. "Please, enjoy your stay!"

As Yun Chuan disappeared up the stairs, everyone remained silent.

Dai Mubai's expression darkened. He pulled out a large bag of money, slammed it on the front desk, and walked out without a word, ignoring the twin sisters who had accompanied him.

"Young Master Dai, wait for us!" The sisters panicked and quickly chased after him.

"What should we do now, Third Brother?" Xiao Wu asked the dazed Tang San, snapping him back to reality. With a bitter smile, he said, "What else can we do? The last room's taken, and we're in no shape to pick a fight. Let's find another hotel."

"That's all we can do." Xiao Wu pouted but understood. While she could be headstrong, she wasn't foolish. Yun Chuan had effortlessly taken down a Soul Elder like Dai Mubai. Challenging him would only result in a beating.

The two left the hotel to find other accommodations.

In the now-empty lobby, the hotel manager and staff exchanged helpless glances.

No words were needed.