Although the Old Snake didn’t believe that anyone really had the courage to take the life of the Gray Wolfe’s future heir just like that, it wasn’t a matter he could leave up to chance. After all, no matter how unlikely it was, if Alexander really died, their Nightingale clan wouldn’t be able to afford the repercussions.
They may proudly claim themselves to be the number one fighting family in the world, but the fact remained that their total population didn’t even reach a thousand, and even if they were mostly elites, wiping them out of existence wasn’t too much of a big deal for the Gray Wolfe Corporation at all.
The government of the Carmen country had always been willing to bend the laws for their highest earning child, after all, and even the strongest fighters of the Nightingale clan would be helpless in front of an organized military’s offensive.
This was why they had been trying so desperately to find a way to get out of the clutches of the Gray Wolfe, but that was easier said than done. Their relationship was already too deep for the Nightingale clan to be able to just get up and leave without taking the blame for treachery, and if that happened, their ending could be imagined.
But although the progress had been slow, they had still been trying to take some steps in the right direction. If it all went down the drain because of his actions… Old Snake knew he wouldn’t be able to rest in peace even if he died.
While he was still despairing, some of the other members of the ‘Martial Arts Alliance’ who had been watching the show had already arrived at their spot after noticing that the fight was over.
Their surprised and delighted voices rang in the old snake’s ears like thunderous gongs, each one bringing him both shame and despair.
”I can’t believe that our Lord Brown turned out to be so strong that even that renowned Old Snake is like a helpless worm in front of him!”
”Heh, maybe everyone has been fooled. Look at the old snake lying there like a dead dog with broken legs, why do I think his reputation is fake?”
”No no, isn’t it just that our Lord Brown is too amazing!”
”Right?!”
”Ahh! I’m all fired up! I feel like I can break through my limits once again!”
”Congratulations, Lord Brown! Once this matter gets out, your name will definitely become more prominent among the top experts of the world.”
Of course, although most of them were happy that their leader was able to beat an opponent they had previously never dared to look down upon, and even made him look so pathetic now, a few of them were also worried.
”Wouldn’t it be wiser to silence the old snake and conceal this matter, instead? If the Nightingale clan really focuses on making things difficult for Lord Brown…”
”Don’t look down on our leader! Do you think a foreign power can so easily suppress us on our own turf? With Lord Brown’s strength, even if a few more worms get past us, he’ll have no trouble dealing with them.”
Naturally, most of them weren’t very worried about their leader, considering he was the strongest among them. But many still believed he had a lot to lose.
After all, among the few of them, Lord Brown’s granddaughter was the most promising seedling they’d had in decades, and in a few more years, she even had the possibility of surpassing some of them!
As their ‘Martial Arts Alliance’ consisted of mostly upright gentlemen who didn’t bother with intrigue and scheming, most of them were used to speaking their minds, and one of them couldn’t help but frown. “I understand that, but what if they go after those he cares about instead—!”
The man shut up immediately once he noticed the glare from his leader, his legs shaking in fright.
Even if it was something that could easily be discovered by anyone bothering to look it up, wouldn’t mentioning the old man’s granddaughter right now be like giving suggestions to the enemy?!
Looking at their apologetic expressions, Grandpa Brown chuckled. “Since I dared to break his legs, I naturally don’t care about what the Nightingale clan thinks or decides to do. Don’t you remember what I said before we came here?”
”Right! It’s time for us to show that it’s not just the Nightingales who can fight!”
The old snake could only ignore their mockery as he gritted his teeth in desperation. “As long as you’re willing to let the young master off the hook, I’m willing to do anything!”
The members of the martial arts association whispered to each other in shock. “Hey, am I the only one who thinks how he worded that was strange?”
”Right? Isn’t this the standard sentence of a captive to their captor before they have all kinds of perverted things done to them?”
”Come to think of it, most of the time it’s a spy that is captured, and the old snake is into that line of work, right? Could this be standard protocol for them?”
”But isn’t it usually a hot girl who is captured? What’s the point of capturing an old man?”
”Disgusting… did you watch too many strange shows?”
Although they were already quite old, it was impossible for them to not hear anything from such a close distance, and both Grandpa Brown and the old snake had their expressions twist in disgust.
Grandpa Brown frowned. “Do you have too much free time on hand? Why not chase after the ones who escaped?”
”Ah, that… old three and four went after the car.”
Naturally, since they considered the people who escaped as small fry subordinates of the Old Snake, most of their attention had been focused on observing the main threat and making sure he didn’t escape.
It definitely had nothing to do with it being more entertaining to watch Grandpa Brown’s fight than to chase after some small fries.
Grandpa Brown frowned as he waved his hand before turning to stare down at the old snake. “To be honest, I’m quite disappointed with your skills. I’m not sure what you can even do for me? I don’t have any strange hobbies, just so you know.”
Obviously, now that he knew that the people who tried to escape included the Gray Wolfe’s heir, and connecting the dots together, it made some sense why the old snake had such a lapse. However, Grandpa Brown wasn’t the type to not mock his opponent while he was down, especially when given such a golden opportunity.
The old snake looked blank for a few moments before he realized what was being implied, and although his eyes turned red in rage, he still managed to keep his temper in check. “I can share the secret techniques of our Nightingale clan with you!”
Grandpa Brown smiled. “Oh? I would have been tempted before, but considering one of their peak experts is so weak… I don’t think they’re such a big deal anymore, right?”
The other members of the Martial Arts Alliance also echoed his sentiments out loud, though they couldn’t deny that the greed in their hearts had been stimulated by the old snake’s words.
After all, the Nightingale clan had an extremely deep background and could be traced back for thousands of generations. Who knew what kind of secrets they had amassed over the years? It was impossible for them not to be tempted!
At this point, how could the old snake not know that grandpa Brown was mocking him intentionally? But even if he knew, he had no choice but to make his case humbly. “You know I’m not specialized in combat!”
Grandpa Brown chuckled. “So?”
The old snake could only twitch in range on the ground, just wishing to poison everyone here to death. And the fact that he still had to beg them made him feel more and more wronged.
Unfortunately, there was no one here who would pity him, and the old snake knew it very well. “I can teach you everything I know! Even the things I learned on my own!”
Grandpa Brown didn’t deny him immediately this time, and the old snake was almost about to breathe a sigh of relief when he froze at his next words. “Can you really be of much use in this condition?”
Feeling the pain from his shattered knees, the old man could only close his eyes to conceal the hatred within. “As long as I’m not dead, what I know will never be completely useless.”
Unfortunately, even if he managed to conceal it perfectly, how could Grandpa Brown not know what kind of opponent he was dealing with?
”Why should I leave a snake in my sleeve? Isn’t that just asking to be poisoned to death?”
The old snake knew that begging for trust was useless, but he also had no idea what to do at this point. Had the situation not been like this, he truly would have preferred to just break the lethal tooth in his mouth and be done with it. “… I’m convinced by your strength, and you can keep me under strict watch if you want.”
Grandpa Brown chuckled. “Heh… I’ll keep you alive for now, but let’s talk about that later. First… let me show you something good.”
With a wave of his hand, the other members of the Martial Arts Alliance nodded as two of them picked the crippled old snake by the shoulders while the others led the way towards where the ‘small fries’ had escaped.
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