Looking at the injuries on the little boy’s face, Wu Tian glanced at Kong Zhiyuan, who was holding the hands of both the boy and the Small Fry. There was no doubt about it: the boy from Triumph Country had been beaten by his daughter.
Wu Tian stepped forward just as the boy’s father, a dark-skinned man from Triumph Country, hurried over. "Principal, what happened to my son?" the man asked. "Did you hit him? I’m telling you, I’m the only one who’s allowed to hit him! Don’t you have a saying in Dragon Country? ’You have to know who the master is before you beat his dog!’"
"That saying doesn’t apply here," Kong Zhiyuan replied sternly. From that brief exchange, he already had a good sense of the man’s household.
"What exactly happened here?" Wu Tian asked in a calm tone. Since his daughter wasn’t the one who had gotten hurt, he wasn’t upset. He simply stroked the Small Fry’s head; her hair felt wonderfully soft and smooth beneath his hand.
"Hug!" the Small Fry piped up.
Wu Tian nodded and lifted her into his arms. She was his personal little cotton-padded jacket, soft and so comfortable to hold.
Kong Zhiyuan looked from Wu Tian to the man from Triumph Country. "Now, I need both parents to listen to me calmly," he said.
Wu Tian nodded.
The man said, "Don’t worry. I’m not an unreasonable person. Every gentleman from Triumph Country knows his manners."
Kong Zhiyuan was skeptical. Still, he explained, "Earlier, I was playing a Football Cup match in the school’s movie room. It was Triumph Country’s Mbappe versus the Flea. Little Juan here said that Mbappe is invincible and that the Flea, as one of the ’unparalleled duo,’ is old and should go eat crap. The Small Fry was upset when she heard that and told Juan to shut up. When Juan refused, she hit him."
Wu Tian nodded, understanding the situation. He knew of the Flea, a world-famous football star who, along with ’C,’ was known as one of the "unparalleled duo." This year’s Football Cup, however, had been a complete disaster for him. Iron Wolf Country had surprisingly lost to Baton Country, and other favored teams had also suffered humiliating results. People were joking that the only way to make money betting on the games was to bet against the favorites. Even the Flea, despite his superb ball-handling skills, had lost to Triumph Country due to his weak teammates, especially the useless goalkeeper. It was in that very match that Triumph Country’s Mbappe had soared to fame.
My daughter wasn’t wrong, Wu Tian thought. She told the boy to stop spouting nonsense in the first place, but the kid from Triumph Country wouldn’t listen.
"Dad, I wasn’t wrong," the Small Fry said, defending her position firmly. "He was being so insulting! He said the Flea should go eat crap, that he was playing like garbage... He said all kinds of horrible things!"
"I wasn’t wrong either!" little Juan yelled, sticking close to his father. "Triumph Country might actually be the champion this time! Mbappe is rising by stepping on the Flea! Triumph Country is the strongest! Players from all the other kingdoms can go eat crap!"
The father didn’t think his son was wrong, either. He shouted, "My son did nothing wrong! Why was he hit? Mbappe is our Triumph Country hero! All other players should bow down to him!"
"Even if that was the result, it doesn’t necessarily mean Mbappe is better than the Flea," Kong Zhiyuan said. "In terms of individual skill, I think the Flea—"
"What the hell do you know?" the man roared, his temper flaring. "How is the Flea skilled? His past record was pure luck! This time, against Triumph Country, his true colors were exposed!"
"No, please listen to me. I think the Flea is actually..." Kong Zhiyuan began, trying to reason with him that winning or losing wasn’t the point. Why resort to taunting the defeated? It was simply poor sportsmanship.
"Shut up!" the man bellowed at Kong Zhiyuan, his face contorted with rage, looking ready to kill. "We’re the victors! Why can’t we taunt the losers? The Flea lost to Triumph Country, so everyone in Triumph Country has the right to mock him! He—"
"Get out."
Wu Tian had heard enough. He lashed out with a kick.
BOOM!
The man was sent flying. The gust of wind from the kick was so strong that it swept up little Juan, sending him flying along with his father.
At last, the school gate was quiet.
The first time he’d seen Wu Tian, Kong Zhiyuan knew the man was extraordinary, but who could have imagined he would become powerful enough to shake the very heavens and earth? He’d even destroyed the nation of Fusang. But Kong Zhiyuan, as a descendant of Saint Kong, was guided by the principle: "How can I bow and scrape before the powerful and wealthy if it robs me of my own happiness?" He remained as composed and dignified in Wu Tian’s presence as he had always been.

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