Taken Away

In a tavern, far away from the City Lord's mansion was a mysterious middle aged man sitting at a table. The only tavern currently open.

Gulp, gulp, gulp….

A loud noise echoed out through the tavern as he greedily drank a jar full of beer.

"Is the beer good?" asked the tavern owner, quite happily.

The man placed the now empty jar on the table as he breathed out the long contained air and silently nodded to the owner's question. Seeing this reaction, the burly owner just laughed in satisfaction.

"Ha! good, good! Drink up!"

He said as the tavern's owner filled up his jar once more. He did this quite a few times.

"The city seems lively and loud" mumbled the middle aged man in his drunken stupor.

He was wearing a long jade-coloured robe with golden dragon embroideries. His hair was a deep auburn color. If you looked closely at the man, you would notice that he was actually elegantly dressed, and a normal person would think he had a high status.

"Oh! That's the city lord's party. Many nobles are attending. He's celebrating his newborn's birth."

"Is that so?" replied the man, quickly losing interest.

Then the tavern turned silent.

The tavern's owner continued wiping the recently washed wooden beer jugs, and neither of them said anything. About a quarter of an hour passed, and the mysterious middle aged man left the tavern.

As the middle aged man walked, you could see he didn't seem drunk at all. Despite him having emptied out the tavern's beer supply.

"Hm? The natural energy of this place is being disrupted." He muttered to himself as he came to a halt.

"!!... This!"

The middle aged man's expression took a huge change at that moment. Because it was exactly then that he was sensing an indescribably terrifying aura rise in the direction of the city lord's banquet.

"Not good." He muttered before vanishing.

…

"You can't do this… NO!!" cried Zhao Ruo, tears in her eyes as she desperately tried to reach out for the child.

The dark cloaked man snorted in contempt as he kicked away Zhao Ruo, who was mercilessly slammed to the wall.

The immense force she felt made her immediately cough up blood. Some of her bones breaking.

"After I'm done with this child, it will be your turn!" exclaimed one of the cloaked men who was holding a dagger in his hand as he approached the newborn Zhao Long who had been crying the entire time.

"3 Clowns bullying a child?"

Right at that moment, a voice thundered in the room. The aura was so powerful that it caused the three cloaked men's faces to pale in fear. Some of them even received internal injuries.

However, this didn't mean that the aggressor couldn't kill them, but rather that he was letting them go out of contempt!

For some reason, Zhao Ruo wasn't affected by this aura, it was as if the aura itself was trying to avoid harming her!

Seeing this, Ruo immediately jumped over to rescue Zhao Long, despite her injuries. In fear that the aura could harm him.

But to her surprise, Zhao Long had been completely unharmed. Zhao Ruo then let out a sigh of relief and then turned to look around the room.

Naturally, she knew that this person was not here to harm them, so she wanted to thank him.

"Senior, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for protecting my child. May I know the name of our saviour?"

"Ren Liu." Replied the voice dryly.

"Many thanks senior Ren! Since you have saved our lives, the Zhao Family shall repay you greatly! Just name anything you want, and we will do our best to accomplish it!" exclaimed Zhuo Ruo in gratitude.

"Anything?" A cold snort could be heard in the room. "Enough. Miss, that child… you must hand it over to me."

"Yes, yes… eh?" Ruo's eyes widened.

"This… senior.. he is my son, I cannot possibly…"

"This child isn't an ordinary child. If he is to stay with you any longer, not only will your whole family be in danger, the entire city could face a catastropphe." explained the voice.

"This child is my son! He isn't going anywhere!"

At this moment, another voice was heard in the room. It was Qiufeng's, and he appeared mad.

"Ruo'er, what is going on?!"

"Dear… I…" Ruo didn't know what to say. How could things have come to this?

"Quiet! You are the city lord? Well, let me say it bluntly then. I will be taking your son away." said the voice in a very cold and indifferent manner.

"What?!"

Right at this moment, a middle aged man appeared right behind Qiufeng. He was walking leisurely in Zhao Long and Zhao Ruo's direction.

It was none other than the same middle aged man who had been at the tavern. He wore a cold and indifferent expression on his face as he approached Zhao Long.

"No!! I Won't let you take Zhao Long away!!" shouted Zhao Qiufeng as he launched himself towards the mysterious middle aged man, killing intent brimming in his eyes.

Ren Liu only looked at him and did nothing else to stop him. But it only took one look from Ren Liu to petrify Qiufeng completely and seriously injure him.

"Qiufeng!!" screamed Zhao Ruo who was already in tears and with an expression full of shock in her eyes.

Seeing that her husband was heavily injured in just a moment made her realise that the man before her wasn't an ordinary martial artist.

"Se-senior! Please I'm begging you… don't take my child away… please!!"

"Miss, I must apologise for doing this, but you will come to understand soon enough. This child's destiny is far too big to remain with you. I must take him away. I promise I will care for him very much in your stead." The middle aged man declared with a very apologetic tone.

It was then that he just extended his hand and the child flew towards him, as if an invisible hand had grabbed the child out of Zhao Ruo's embrace.

Naturally, Zhao Ruo was helplessly unable to do anything about it, and she could only stare as her child was being snatched from her. Tears brimmed down her cheeks and her complexion went really pale. It was as if she had lost part of her soul.

Similarly, Qiufeng who was injured was also unable to do anything, and instead had a look of shock as he saw the child float out of his wife's embrace. And all he was able to say was one word before losing consciousness.

"Cultivator…!"

In the same moment he uttered those words, the middle aged man disappeared together with Zhao Long.

Moments later, only the sounds of weeping from both parents could be heard.

….

In a Mountain cliff right outside of Hongliu City appeared a middle aged man with semi-elegant jade clothing and dark auburn hair. In his arms laid a newborn baby wrapped in expensive silk clothings.

These were of course, Ren Liu and Zhao Long.

He was staring at the city that was brimming with light in deep thought.

"It is better this way." uttered Ren Liu, a pained expression could be seen on his face.

After saying these words he turned and vanished.