The master and disciple leaned back against each other. Tiger held his blade in front of him and said, "I thought our reunion after three years would be emotional and heartwarming, but who would’ve expected such a large crowd of spectators?"

"Master, with such formidable enemies ahead, let's save the banter for later," Leon said gravely.

When Tiger heard this from his disciple, he froze for a moment. "What’s wrong, kid? You didn’t waste those three years neglecting your training, did you? These Weixianzhong (Dangerous Beasts) might be a bit tricky for me, an old man, but for you, aren't they about as simple as drinking cold water?"

Leon swallowed nervously, then opened his palm. A faint flicker of electricity flashed twice before extinguishing completely.

Awkward silence.

His returned in such a hurry that he hadn’t had time to accumulate much mana. The earlier area-clearing spell had completely drained Leon's mana reserves.

"A lot happened in the past three years, and the situation is...complicated. I’ll explain in detail once we fight our way out, Master.”

"Complicated? Isn't it just because you had two daughters? How complex could it be?" Tiger remarked nonchalantly.

Leon: ?

"M-Master... How do you know about that?!"

"Your wife told me," he replied casually before pausing. "By the way, that silver dragon is your wife, right? Or did you two have kids out of wedlock?"

"Technically speaking... she is my wife. And, uh... we didn’t just have two daughters..."

Tiger: ?

"Well, well, kid, now I understand why you’re so flustered. So, it seems you spent the past three years doing nothing but helping the Silver Dragon Clan grow their population, huh?"

"I already said, Master—let’s discuss this after we fight our way out!"

"Hmph, fine. Keep up, and don’t fall behind an old man like me."

Leon nodded.

The two of them spread out into attack positions. Chaos quickly erupted.

Even without mana, Leon’s sheer physical strength and martial prowess sufficed to overwhelm the three Dangerous Beasts, forcing them to retreat repeatedly. Tiger also noticed that Leon’s power had grown substantially compared to three years ago.

It seemed life with the Silver Dragon Clan hadn't only been about enjoying domestic bliss; the boy had kept up with his training, at least.

Master and disciple worked together seamlessly, maneuvering and fighting as they retreated to one side of the street. However, even the greatest fighters cannot overcome sheer numbers. The enemies not only outnumbered them but also kept summoning waves of ferocious A-class Dangerous Beasts.

"Don’t these guys care about the consequences?" Leon muttered. "If these Dangerous Beasts go out of control on the Empire’s streets, a lot of innocent civilians will get hurt."

"The Empire is no longer the Empire we once knew, kid."

Tiger left the comment hanging in the air as he raised his long刀. A radiant blue energy surged along the blade.

*Clang!*

With a downward slash, Tiger unleashed a crescent-shaped burst of lightning that tore through the street, carving out a path.

"Move it!"

The pair charged toward the gap in their encirclement.

Behind them, over a hundred enforcers and a dozen Dangerous Beasts gave relentless chase.

"Don’t tell me you came rushing in to help me with no preparations at all," Tiger grunted as they ran.

"Of course I made preparations."

"What kind of preparations?"

Just as Tiger finished speaking, they heard the sound of frantic horse hooves in front of them.

The two looked up to see a carriage racing toward them. On the driver's seat was a petite girl with twin pistols strapped to her back, her face pale with panic. Clutching the reins tightly, she shouted,

"The horses aren’t listening to meee!"

When the carriage was just ten meters away, Rebecca leaned back with all her strength, pulling hard on the reins. With a sharp neigh, the massive horses reared up on their hind legs and came to an abrupt stop.

Rebecca exhaled a sigh of relief. "Driving a carriage is way harder than shooting a gun."

Leon and Tiger exchanged a glance before both jumped onto the carriage.

Leon grabbed the reins from Rebecca. "I’ll handle driving. You head to the back and help Master fend off the Dangerous Beasts chasing us."

"Yes, Captain!"

Rebecca grinned—finally, her expertise would come into play!

She moved to the back of the carriage and came face-to-face with Tiger. "Long time no see, Papa Tiger."

"Save the reunion talk for later. Stall them for now—buy me some time. I’m preparing something big."

"Got it!"

Rebecca drew her pistols, flicked off the safeties, and planted one foot on the edge of the carriage. Her aqua-colored eyes sparkled with long-lost excitement.

"It’s been ages since I’ve hunted you monsters. Don’t disappoint me!"

And with that, she pulled the trigger.

Gunshots rang out.

Rebecca’s twin heavy-caliber pistols unleashed a storm of bullets, raining firepower upon the pursuing monsters. The muzzle flash illuminated her face, a face that might usually be described as "cute" but now bore a manic grin.

She laughed as the agonized cries of the Dangerous Beasts filled the air.

At the front of the carriage, Leon listened to the endless gunfire and remembered why his gunner was both endearing and terrifying. Put nicely, she was a "a quirky beauty." More bluntly, she was a "psychotic lolita."

If it weren't for the limited space on the carriage, Leon was certain Rebecca would have hauled out the massive elemental cannon she kept in her backyard.

Shaking off the thought, he focused on steering the carriage forward.

The chase continued.

More Dangerous Beasts leaped into the fray from side streets, while Rebecca's dwindling supply of bullets spelled trouble. Turning her head to the cart, she called out, "Papa Tiger, are you done yet? I’m nearly out of ammo here!"

Tiger popped his head out from the cart.

"Just keep firing! Leave the solution to me."

And with that, he ducked back inside.

"Aaargh! Teaming up with an old geezer and a blockheaded captain is driving me crazy!!"

The manic sharpshooter grumbled but doubled down, unleashing a final volley of gunfire.

Just as Rebecca's bullet supply was entirely exhausted, Tiger emerged from the cart holding a spool of fine black wire.

Rebecca cast aside her overheated pistols. "Papa Tiger, what's that?"

"Watch and learn, little girl," Tiger replied with a smirk as he tossed the wire outward.

The wire spread out in midair into an intricate net.

The net slowly descended, unnoticed by the mindless Dangerous Beasts, who charged straight onto it without hesitation.

Tiger snapped his fingers at just the right moment.

The net lit up with arcs of lightning and fiery sparks, paralyzing the monsters in an instant. Pinned in place at the center of the street, the immobilized beasts blocked the pursuing enforcers as well.

"That was amazing, Papa Tiger!" Rebecca’s eyes sparkled.

"Hmph, little girl, you’ve got plenty to learn yet."

The carriage raced off, leaving their pursuers far behind.

...

The trio eventually took refuge in a slum.

Leon drove the carriage into a foul-smelling swamp before feeding the horses some hay. Once they were fed, he set them free.

After finishing up, Leon entered a shabby little house.

Rebecca was busy repairing her weapons, while Tiger had lit a fire for warmth.

Leon sat cross-legged by the fire. Tiger pried open a can of beef with his long刀 and handed it to his pupil. "I had planned to welcome you back with a proper steak dinner, but given the circumstances, canned beef will have to do."

Leon chuckled as he took the can. "Master, I never thought we'd reunite like this."

"At least we’re meeting again. I thought for sure the Silver Dragon Clan had already done you in."

Tiger opened another can of beef and handed it to Rebecca before turning back to Leon. "You and Rebecca came looking for me, so I’ll assume you saw the message I left at the farm?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, we found it."

"What message?" Rebecca asked between bites, her big eyes blinking curiously.

"It’s about the mole within our ranks. Master said you're trustworthy," Leon explained.

"Oh? Sounds like Papa Tiger has a pretty good impression of me," Rebecca said smugly.

"An impression means little. This is serious business, and trust can’t be based on just a good impression," Tiger said firmly. "I left that message in the barn at the farm about a year ago, thinking Leon might be back soon. And over the past year, I’ve been secretly investigating and tracking the three of you."

Rebecca blinked in surprise. "You’ve been following us this whole time? I didn’t notice at all."

As a former top member of the Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army, Rebecca prided herself on her counter-surveillance skills (though leaving her house’s back door unlocked didn’t demonstrate much of this skill). But the fact that Tiger had followed her for a year without her noticing spoke volumes about his abilities.

The old man... was truly formidable.

Tiger waved dismissively. "Just some simple tracking work. Nothing to brag about."

Rebecca’s smile stiffened into a forced grimace.

So that’s where Leon got that infuriatingly nonchalant arrogance. Like master, like disciple—they both oozed the same annoying air of smugness.

After some light banter, Leon got down to business.

His most pressing concern was the first topic he raised.

"Master, isn’t Mistress with you?"

"No. The situation with the Empire turned out to be far more complicated than I initially thought, so I moved her to an absolutely safe location where she’s being taken care of," Tiger explained. "The donkey’s there too," he added.

"I see... As long as she's safe."

Leon then asked another pressing question.

"Master, when you say the Empire’s situation is complicated, what specifically do you mean?"

Tiger sighed heavily, his expression darkening as he began to explain.

"Three years ago, during the Silver Dragon War, you vanished without a trace. After the Dragon Slayer Army suffered a crushing defeat, the Empire placed all the blame squarely on you. Not only that, but they also branded you a 'traitor.'"

"I didn’t know at the time what exactly was happening on the battlefield, but I believed that the disciple I had trained would never betray his comrades, let alone his country."

"Back then, everyone said you were dead. I had no desire to stay in this Empire, which had already been corrupted by political power struggles. So, I left this place with your mistress, hoping to spend the rest of my life in peace."

"Until one day, I realized that a silver dragon seemed to be searching for my whereabouts. Through her, I managed to contact the Silver Dragon Queen. We met, and the Silver Dragon King told me that you were still alive."

"After a brief understanding of the situation, I decided to return to the Empire to investigate the matter properly and clear your name."

"I sought out an old friend who held a position in the Empire's high ranks. I didn’t tell him you were alive, only asked him to reach out to those responsible for the Silver Dragon Battle to clear your name. However, they completely ignored my request and even attempted to kill me to silence me."

"Two Imperial Guards blocked my way, and I knocked them unconscious with the back of my blade."

"But the next day, their bodies were hung on the palace walls, and I was framed as a wanted criminal."

"It was only then that I realized fully—the Empire had completely rotted from within, and your framing was no mere scapegoating. Someone deliberately set you up."

"The only way to make those bastards in the Empire sit down and listen is through 'violence.'"

"In the past year, I killed the head of the brothel, the boss of the casino, and even a major drug lord. The Empire felt the pressure and even went so far as to deploy their tamed Dangerous Beasts to block me."

"I suspect their next move will be even more outrageous."

Leon silently listened to his master’s account. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "You’ve gone through so much trouble for me, Master."

"It’s no big deal," Tiger replied with a heavy sigh. "A whole year has passed, and I still haven’t managed to clear your name as a traitor. Ultimately, I still need you to come back and help me with this."

Leon reached out and patted Tiger on the shoulder. "Don’t say that, Master. You’ve already done so much for me."

"Ah," Tiger sighed deeply again, then adjusted his mood before asking, "What’s your plan next?"

"Hmm... first, I need to uncover the mole who framed me back then. He must have close ties to the Empire’s royal family."

Tiger narrowed his eyes slightly. "So it’s true that you were framed."

The master and disciple began to exchange the clues and information they each had.

Meanwhile, Rebecca quietly stole Leon’s untouched can of beef stew beside them.

...

Atop the palace walls, two figures stood overlooking the Empire.

"Leon is still alive," one of the men said slowly. His tone was deep, commanding authority without anger. "You failed. You didn’t kill him back then."

The other man dropped to one knee, his voice trembling. "I’m sorry, my lord... b-but I clearly pierced his heart at the time. He shouldn’t have been able to survive..."

"Heh... useless."

The 'lord' lowered his eyes, gazing at the kneeling man. "He and his former teammate Rebecca took Tiger from the church tonight. I’m sure he’ll come for you soon enough. This is your mess—fix it."

"Yes, my lord..."

"Moreover, you possess quite a bit of inside information. The only reason you’ve lived to this day is that those above have shown you some leniency. So, should you fail again this time, it won’t be Leon who ends you—you won’t survive no matter what. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, my lord. This time, I’ll succeed!"

The 'lord' brushed his sleeve and turned away.

"Within five days, I want to see the corpse of Leon Casmod."