Seeing that Fred and Seelie were getting ready to leave, Bovies' expression instantly turned cold. Evidently, the guards had received their orders in advance. Without Bovies and Runiya saying anything, they positioned themselves at the entrance and blocked Fred's way."Do you plan to stop me?" Fred asked, his expression indifferent as he observed the blockade in front of him."Stop you? Haha, do you think it's just that?" Bovies sneered. "If you had just been good and drunk the tea, it would've all been over. Since you didn't cooperate, however, we’ll take your life right here, right now!”"I see." Fred paid no attention to Bovies' words. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Runiya, the mistress of the Steford family who had been silent all this time. He asked, "I have two questions for you. How about it?"Two questions?Runiya was slightly taken aback by Fred's unexpected request but nodded nonetheless. "Mr. Hoffman, please go ahead.""First, where is Varioso now, and is he safe
The moment Bovies said that, the guards who were already at the ready released their murderous intent and charged at Fred.They had received orders to kill Fred on the spot the moment they were called to act before the man himself had even arrived. However, what surprised them all was that despite being in the face of death, Fred showed no signs of panic or caution. He was still indifferent like how he was at the start. Even Seelie, who was standing by his side, was the same.Their lack of reaction caused Bovies to furrow his brows.Bovies might have thought that Fred was scared silly before he had gotten to know his strength. Yet, he knew that Fred actually had the strength to kill him. There was no way Fred would be so easily frightened! In that case, why was he so calm at this moment?Could it be that he had another trick up his sleeve?Just at that moment, Fred waved his hand, causing the chair next to him to shatter. He then grabbed a piece of wood and stepped forward leisu
There was no doubt. Although Bovies was unwilling, he had realized since the last competition that he was not a match for Fred. The man was now standing among more than 50 guards, all of who had been beaten to the ground by him with his wooden stick. This further proved Bovies' point. Even though Bovies looked like he was attacking Fred now, in reality, his target was not him but Seelie, who was standing next to Fred!He thought Seelie was just a powerless woman who was also Fred's wife. As long as he could control Seelie, would Fred not have to surrender?Hence, in the moment before he reached Fred, Bovies, with this plan in mind, suddenly changed directions. He reached his hand out toward Seelie with a fierce and triumphant smile on his face.In just the blink of an eye, he had Seelie captured and in his control."Didn't expect this, did you?" Now that Seelie was under his control, Bovies sneered triumphantly. "I didn't expect you to withhold from showing your true strength i
"Word is spreading outside that we took something from the Steford family." Inside their room at the inn, Fred was looking at Seelie, who had an expression of displeasure. He himself was wearing a slight frown."The damned Stefords!" Seelie snorted with obvious displeasure. "We barely just left and already such news started circulating. "They're saying we stole their family’s manual of martial arts secrets and that we defeated all their fighters after just a few days of cultivation and escaped!"All the fools in Waterway Town are going crazy at the news. They’re searching for us everywhere!"Fred shook his head slightly when he heard that. In fact, he had sensed even before leaving the Steford family that Runiya was already harboring resentment. As the mistress of the family, Runiya was used to having everyone cater to her wishes. She never had to consider the opinions of others.Seelie had not only almost attacked her at that time but also left behind a statement implying that
The money that Varioso had given them was now dwindling, and financial issues were becoming a concern.If they continued to be harassed by those searching for this fictional manual of martial arts secrets, Fred would have no peace. This would make it impossible for him to focus on recuperation. The dangers posed by the Ancient Warlords discovering Fred's identity were even more perilous.Fred mulled these thoughts over in his mind for a moment before asking, "Can you find out if there are any other families in Waterway Town, apart from the Steford family, with a decent reputation but no significant hope of winning this five-year competition?""That's not hard at all. In fact, I can even list them right now,” Seelie replied. "A couple of days ago, I was chatting with some local vendors here. There are four families with relatively strong influence in Waterway Town—the Steford family, the Ciel family, the Tohil family, and the Nile family. "Among them, the Ciel and Tohil familie
"Are you two seeking refuge with the Nile family?"Half an hour later, inside the Nile family’s residence, Hector, the head of the Nile family, looked at Fred and Seelie with furrowed brows. His eyes were laced with uncertainty.By now, news of Fred and Seelie stealing the Steford family's manual of martial arts secrets and making significant progress with their martial arts had already spread throughout Waterway Town. This had caused considerable uproar, and Fred and Seelie were the target of public criticism.It was because of this that Hector almost instantly recognized Fred and Seelie. However, this also made him extremely curious. In a situation like this, Fred and Seelie should have fled far away.Why were they still lingering in Waterway Town? Moreover, why would they want to seek refuge with his family?Fred naturally noticed Hector's doubts but remained composed. He kept silent and waited for Hector to speak. A moment later, Hector could not help but ask, "Mr. Hoffman,
Who would not want to win the five-year competition? Winning would, after all, grant one control over Waterway Town. It meant obtaining endless wealth and resources. The other three families had been on equal footing with the Nile family in the past. The difference only emerged because the three families had all achieved victories since then. Thus, there was now a gap between them and the Nile family.Despite his initial excitement, Hector quickly regained his composure and looked at Fred. "Mr. Hoffman, can I understand that you joining the Niles means that you’ll be representing us in the five-year competition to ensure our victory? "I know you must be a formidable fighter to have been able to walk out of the Steford family safely, but is that enough to guarantee our victory in the five-year competition?"Fred chuckled. "You may test me using the methods the Steford family used.""The Stefords? What did they do?" Hector asked in confusion."They had over 50 guards, plus a pers
Unable to comprehend the situation, Hector found himself in disbelief that Fred had claimed victory with just one move. Howard also openly admitted that even ten of him would not be Fred's match. This left Hector utterly bewildered. If it were not for Howard's many years of service with the Nile family and the deep trust he had earned from him, Hector might have suspected collusion between Howard and Fred. Howard was well aware of how absurd it must have looked to Hector when he conceded with just one move, but he knew his own situation best. Even though Fred had only executed one move, the way Fred had effortlessly countered his attack with a simple gesture and identified his vulnerabilities with a glance was enough to show that Fred had deliberately held back. He could not choose to just ignore reality in such a situation. He immediately bowed to Hector. "Master, Mr. Hoffman’s strength is unprecedented in my experience! I'm afraid no one in Waterway Town is a match for him.
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he