“Bring it!” The newcomer yelled, enveloped in a strange red aura that Tian Long could perceive.

The group of delinquents, however, didn’t seem to be able to see it and just charged directly at the boy, which made Tian Long think he was just seeing things from the beating he took.

The boy easily evaded the right hook of the first hoodlum and sank a deep fist into his stomach, sending him flying backwards with strength that should not be possible for a boy his age. Seeing this, the group of delinquents stopped, jaws dropped in shock.

“Ngh… he’s… strong…” The delinquent who got knocked back into a pile of trash muttered, clutching his chest and struggling back to his feet. “Get him together, boys!”

At this, the group of punks all leaped at the boy simultaneously, leaving him no room to counter — or so they thought.

As two fists came closing in, one on either side of his face, the boy suddenly raised his arms and caught the two hands in his own, before grinning and smashing them together and using the two delinquents as a shield against the third’s kick.

Unfortunately, numbers advantage was more dominant than one would think. Tian Long tried to shout for him to watch out, but his voice wouldn’t come out. While the boy was dealing with those three, two more delinquents suddenly slipped around and rather than outright attacking like their friends, they grabbed the boy’s two arms and locked them down first, forcing him to kneel.

Meanwhile, the sixth and final delinquent that the boy had kicked away earlier came back, a devious smile on his face.

“Brat… you’re done for now.”

But the boy merely chuckled.

“Heh.”

As he looked up, a terrifying red, bloodthirsty gaze had consumed his eyes, and the explosive aura around him expanded even further in Tian Long’s vision. The two delinquents pinning him down were suddenly thrown away to either side, crashing into the walls, and the sixth delinquent was headbutted by what felt like solid steel before he could even react.

The boy slowly rose from the floor, the five delinquents laying unconscious on the floor. There was just one left — the one who had attempted kicking him, but hit his own teammates instead.

The boy walked towards him dangerously, a thirsty smile on his face. The red aura around him was as bright as ever, only visible to Tian Long for whatever reason.

“N-No… stay away…” The delinquent whimpered, faced with something that could be said to have monstrous strength. “Ah… AHHH!”

Screaming in fear, he turned tail and ran away. The boy folded his arms and didn’t bother chasing.

“Hmph. Coward.”

Then, he glanced down at Tian Long, who by this point was just barely hanging on to consciousness. Bending down, the boy shook him gently.

“Hey. You good?”

Tian Long wanted to say something in response, but he was far too weak. His eyelids eventually grew too heavy to bear, and he shut them tight, falling into darkness.

“Ah, damn it… where do I take him…” The boy muttered, annoyed, then at last settled on a decision and pulled out his phone, dialing a certain number.

“Oi, butler. I got a favor to ask.”

– Several Minutes Later –

“Young master… are you certain you wish to do this?” The old butler asked as he drove the car, heading back to their home. “I must say, I cannot imagine your father and mother to be happy about this.”

“Well, what was I gonna do?” The boy snapped, glancing at Tian Long’s unconscious figure sitting beside him in the car, seatbelt strapped on. “Leave him there?”

“No, but…” The butler sighed. “It’s fine. I suppose we can treat him with amnestics. Still… you must control yourself, young master. Remember, you are not a normal person — you are a Ghost Hunter, blessed with the powers of Angelicas. You cannot be inserting yourself into every little conflict between humans of the public world.”

“I know, I know… it’s just… those guys were ganging up on him with their numbers. I couldn’t sit back and let that slide,” the boy muttered in annoyance. “Besides, those delinquents are idiots, and I knocked them out good. They won’t even bother thinking I have supernatural powers.”

The butler sighed once more. “If you say so, young master.”

Soon, they arrived at their home — the 100th Squadron of the Phantom Slayer Corps of the Ghost Hunter Organization, also known as the Thousand Dragons Sect.

The butler carried Tian Long while the boy headed on into the temple-like sect grounds, with the destination of the front hall in mind. When they reached there, three people were waiting inside.

“Oh, Zi’Er, you’re back!” The woman cried, quickly getting out of her seat and pulling the boy into an embrace. “Don’t scare mom like that again…”

“M-Mom! Let go of me!” The boy — whose full name was Pang Zi — shouted in annoyance, fighting to get out of his mother’s embrace.

“Mm… and who is this…?” The mother asked, backing away at last and looking at the boy held within the butler’s arms.

“He’s… a kid I found, getting beat up in an alleyway. I couldn’t just leave him there, so I took him back here to heal.”

At this, one of the two men in the room rose up in fury.

“You unfilial son!” He roared. “How dare you… run away from home time and time again, and now you break the Ghost Hunter’s code by bringing back a normal human?!”

“Oh, honey… calm down,” the mother said sweetly, a conflicted expression on her face. “Zi’Er… you know the rules, don’t you?”

“I do,” Pang Zi replied, narrowing his eyes. “But we Ghost Hunters are supposed to protect humanity, no? What good is fighting back against Ghosts if we can’t even save people from other humans?”

“You…!” His father looked like he was ready to burst from rage.

“He has a point,” the third man — patriarch Lei Feng — cut in. “Pang Zi, we will allow him to recover here for the time being. But once he is fully healed… we will treat him with amnestics, then send him to a public family for adoption. That is the best we can do.”

“Thank you, patriarch,” Pang Zi said with a bow of gratitude, then shot his father a sneaky smirk.

“Patriarch, this…” The father was still reluctant.

“I understand your feelings, Elder Pang,” Lei replied. “However… as Ghost Hunters, we must be flexible as well. There is no harm done in letting that boy stay there to recover. We will send him back as soon as he is healed. He will have no memory of this place.

“…” After a while, the elder — Pang Zi’s father — sighed and gave in.

“I suppose so. Whatever the patriarch wishes.”