Chapter 48

"Wh-what do you mean? Kid, did you see clearly? What's the name of this tavern?" The waiter immediately changed his expression and gave a sinister smile.

"Wang's Tavern? I don't care who runs this tavern. Even if it were the emperor, he couldn't bully customers like this, right? I don't want to eat here. Are you going to force me to eat here?" Lu Tianyu's face instantly turned as dark as water, realizing that he had encountered a notorious black tavern.

"Exactly, since you've come in, you have to eat. If you don't want to eat, pay fifty taels of silver and then leave." The waiter immediately glared and said.

"I haven't eaten anything, and you're asking for silver. There's no such logic in the world. Do you think I'm easy to bully?" Lu Tianyu, hearing this, suddenly burst into laughter out of anger.

The incident quickly alarmed the other diners in the tavern. Everyone looked over, and the whispers began.

"Oh, it looks like this young man is in trouble. He won't be able to get out of here without paying something." A middle-aged man sitting by the wall whispered.

"Shh, keep it down. If Young Master Wang hears, it will be bad. Hurry up and eat your meal." An old man at the same table immediately glared at the middle-aged man, warning him.

The middle-aged man, hearing this, sighed and shook his head, casting a sympathetic glance at Lu Tianyu before continuing to eat.

The reactions of the other diners were similar, indicating that such incidents were not uncommon in this tavern.

"I said, you've eaten, so pay up." The waiter immediately waved his right hand and grabbed Lu Tianyu's right hand, afraid he might escape.

"Let go!" Lu Tianyu couldn't help but fly into a rage, roaring.

"Who is making a fuss in my tavern? Are you tired of living?" At this moment, a series of heavy footsteps came from the second floor of the tavern.

Lu Tianyu couldn't help but look up and saw a young man in his twenties, accompanied by six burly men, quickly descending the stairs and heading straight for him.

"Young Master Wang, you came just in time. This kid ate but didn't pay. What should we do?" The waiter immediately shouted.

"Really? Someone dares to eat for free in our Wang's Tavern?" The man called Young Master Wang gave a sinister smile to the waiter, then raised his head and coldly looked at Lu Tianyu.

"Kid, what's your name? Where are you from? Do you want to eat for free in my tavern?" Young Master Wang, squinting his long, triangular eyes, and with thin lips, said viciously.

"I just came in and haven't eaten anything here. If you don't believe me, ask the other guests." Lu Tianyu immediately said slowly.

"Oh? Is that so? Let me ask." Young Master Wang gave a cold laugh and then cast a cold glance at the surrounding diners.

"Tell me, did this kid eat in the tavern?" Young Master Wang suddenly pointed at the middle-aged man who had been whispering earlier.

"Uh, Young Master Wang, I'm sorry, I was eating and didn't pay attention." The middle-aged man immediately dodged the question, not daring to tell the truth.

"Good, Mr. Li, then you tell me, did this kid eat for free?" Young Master Wang nodded in satisfaction and moved his right hand to an old man at another table.

"Young Master Wang, my old eyes are dim, and I was only paying attention to the food on the table. I didn't see what happened over there. Please don't make it difficult for me." Mr. Li couldn't help but give a bitter laugh.

"You, and you, tell me, did this kid eat?" Young Master Wang, feeling even more pleased, pointed at several diners.

"Yes."

"Right, I saw him eat, and he ordered a full table of dishes."

"This kid dares to eat for free in your tavern, Young Master Wang. He must be tired of living." The diners, named by Young Master Wang, immediately smiled obsequiously and started to clamor.

"Ha, kid, did you hear that? They all say you ate. What do you have to say now?" Young Master Wang immediately squinted his triangular eyes and glared at Lu Tianyu, shouting.

Lu Tianyu's chest was already filled with raging anger. He never expected that not only would Young Master Wang distort the truth, but the other diners would also lie to curry favor with him.

It seemed that today's matter would not end well.

"What do you want?" Lu Tianyu simply stopped explaining and asked with a cold smile.

"What do I want? Pay for what you eat, it's only right. Waiter, tell me how much he ate." Young Master Wang immediately looked at the waiter and asked.

"Young Master, he ate steamed abalone, stir-fried trotters, Tianxiang pot... a total of ten dishes, fifty taels of silver." The waiter immediately echoed.

Hearing this, Lu Tianyu's cold smile deepened. It seemed that the waiter was quite skilled at making things up, spouting lies without a second thought. From this, it was clear that this trick had been used to deceive many people in the past.

"Right, ten dishes, fifty taels is not much. Kid, pay up and I'll let you go." Young Master Wang immediately said with a sidelong glance.

"What if I don't pay?" Lu Tianyu smiled coldly.

"Don't pay? Then you came in standing, and I'll make you leave lying down." Young Master Wang immediately showed a fierce look and waved his hand at the six burly men behind him.

The burly men, seeing this, immediately moved and surrounded Lu Tianyu.

The diners at the nearby tables immediately stood up and moved to the corners of the room. They knew that once this matter was over, the dishes they had ordered would be free, as Young Master Wang would pay for them.

As long as they were locals, they knew that the Wang's Tavern only bullied outsiders and did not dare to bully locals. This was the main reason they chose to eat here. If the tavern bullied locals, it would not last long.

People are selfish. As long as they are not bullied themselves, they adopt an attitude of "it's none of my business" and ignore it.

These diners were now watching the scene from the corners, curious to see how Lu Tianyu would resolve the matter.

However, most of them thought that Lu Tianyu's situation was not optimistic. Surrounded by five men with considerable cultivation, his chances of survival were slim.

"Kid, I advise you to pay up and avoid trouble. Making a big fuss will not be good for you." At this moment, Mr. Li suddenly stepped forward and advised.

Mr. Li had seen the consequences of those who opposed Young Master Wang several times. Several out-of-town diners, not knowing the background of the Wang's Tavern, chose to oppose Young Master Wang and were all mercilessly beaten and thrown out of the tavern, eventually becoming beggars on the street.

"Thank you, sir, but I have nothing to hide. I didn't eat, and you can't frame me." Lu Tianyu immediately smiled coldly.

"Since that's the case, take care." Mr. Li couldn't help but sigh and quickly retreated to the corner.

"Kid, I'm giving you one last chance. Will you pay or not?" Young Master Wang glared at Lu Tianyu and shouted.

"I have no money." Lu Tianyu said slowly.

"Is that so? You won't cry until you see the coffin. Beat him." Young Master Wang immediately flew into a rage and quickly waved his hand at the burly men.

"Swish" The burly men immediately showed a cruel look and moved together, rushing towards Lu Tianyu.

"Bang, bang, bang..." In a series of loud noises, a red aura of battle energy shot up into the sky. The six burly men, before they could get within half a meter of Lu Tianyu, were all kicked away by a sweeping kick from Lu Tianyu.

After collapsing several tables and chairs, the burly men all lay on the ground, facing the sky, emitting sharp cries of pain.

"Such weak strength, yet you dare to cause trouble in my tavern. You truly don't know your place." Young Master Wang, seeing this, did not show any fear but instead gave a cold laugh.

As he spoke, a dazzling yellow aura of battle energy burst from Young Master Wang's body, forming a yellow light shield that quickly enveloped him.

"Mid-stage Battle Master?" The diners, seeing this, all exclaimed in surprise. They rarely saw Young Master Wang personally fight and did not expect that this seemingly spoiled young man had such considerable strength, reaching the mid-stage Battle Master realm at a young age, worthy of being a young master from a prominent family.

In contrast, Lu Tianyu's body emitted a dazzling red aura of battle energy. Compared to Young Master Wang, it was clear that Lu Tianyu only had the strength of a peak warrior, two levels lower than Young Master Wang.

"Oh, it looks like this young man is in trouble. He should have listened to the old man's advice." Mr. Li sighed again, feeling quite sympathetic.

"This kid dares to oppose Young Master Wang, truly with the heart of a leopard. He will surely be beaten like a dead dog."

"It seems that the city of Lihua will have one more beggar."

The diners pointed at Lu Tianyu, and no one was optimistic about his chances. They all believed that he would surely lose today, and his fate would be to lose his hands and feet and become a new member of the city's beggars.

Seeing the color of the battle energy emitted by Young Master Wang, Lu Tianyu's expression also became serious. He had never faced a mid-stage Battle Master before and did not know if he could match him.

But no matter what, he had to fight today.

Lu Tianyu's personality was such that he would not provoke others unless provoked, but if provoked, he would fight to the death.

Neither Lu Tianyu nor Young Master Wang made any rash moves. They stared at each other, gathering their strength, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

A fierce aura of killing intent instantly filled the entire tavern. The tables and benches closest to them immediately creaked and, unable to withstand the intense pressure, collapsed, turning into countless pieces of wood and splinters that scattered on the ground.

The battle was about to begin.