Ricky sauntered up to Doug, who hadn't recovered from the fear that Ricky's strike had brought him.
"Hey, Doug, do you remember when you said that you would consider me as your boss if I could withstand three moves from you?" He prompted Doug point-blank.
Hearing Ricky's words brought Doug back to his senses.
"This is unbelievable. I lost?!"
Doug muttered to himself in disbelief.
However, even though he found it hard to believe, he had no choice but to accept it and do as he had promised.
He struggled for a while as he weighed what he should do next, and when he made up his mind, he said to Ricky,
"Don't worry. I'm a man of my word. From now on, you will be my boss, and I will run errands..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Ricky interrupted him with a laugh.
"Ha-ha! You're too serious, man. I was just joking. I can't believe you took my words seriously," he uttered.
From the beginning, Ricky had no intention of taking Doug in as his follower. He just used Doug to prevent the other disciples from picking on him. He had gotten what he wanted, so it was about time to let Doug go as well.
After all, he had just joined the wood branch.
Meanwhile, the warriors present fell silent when they heard Ricky's words.
The last thing they had expected was for Ricky to act so graciously, as they had all thought that he would give Doug a hard time given the situation.
Some of them thought to themselves,
'Ricky is not only talented and strong, but he is also gracious and broad-minded! Maybe he and Ashley will be a good match with each other.'
Some of them even began to discuss among themselves. "This guy is awesome. I'm looking forward to what else he will achieve after this!
Perhaps, he can become the holy son in the near future."
"Now, we know that Ricky definitely deserves our respect!"
In the martial world, seniority did not dictate superiority or respect. Everything depended on the individual's strength, regardless of that person's age, background, or personality.
Since Ricky was more powerful than them, he demanded their respect.
A person's strength was the only thing that mattered.
No matter how kind-hearted or broad-minded Ricky was, he knew that these people wouldn't respect him if he weren't this strong.
"Thank you. I didn't think you'd let Doug go but thank you for that," Ashley mumbled to Ricky through telepathy once she had recovered from her surprise.
"We both are members of the wood branches now, so it's only right that I spare him. However, I'm sorry but you can't get what you want," Ricky answered her with a meaningful smile. Obviously, he knew that Ashley had wanted to use Doug to give him a hard time.
"Don't get ahead of yourself! I think Guillermo will likely come out soon,"
Ashley responded with an equally serene smile.
It was like they were competing for which of them could fluster the other first.
Of course, Ricky was his usual unflappable self, and the smile on his face widened in response.
"Oh, is that so?" he retorted, chuckling with amusement.
After a while, Doug also came out of his trance.
He turned to Ricky with grateful eyes and cried out sincerely, "Thank you, Ricky! Thank you!"
At this moment, he began to genuinely admire Ricky. He didn't think that Ricky had said that just to look good to others since there was no need for him to do that. On top of that, he sounded really sincere.
"Ha-ha! Don't mention it. After all, we are both the member of the wood branch," Ricky answered Doug, patting his back lightly. At this point, a voice suddenly rang out, taking everyone's attention.
"No wonder our vice leader went through so much just to bring you here. You are not only powerful but also broad-minded. I'm impressed." The voice came from a handsome young man, who was clad in a white expensive robe, with an impressive crown on his head.
"It's Guillermo!"
All the disciples present bowed respectfully when they saw the young man.
"So this guy is Guillermo?"
Ricky inquired telepathically.
"Yes! That's him!" Ashley replied enthusiastically.
"I didn't expect that you are this in demand. Guillermo is considered a peerless genius, and even he is attracted to you. But how come I never noticed that you are this enchanting before?" Ricky teasingly replied.
"Humph!" Knowing that Ricky was making fun of her, Ashley let out an unwomanly snort and didn't reply anymore.
She knew that she would never win an argument against Ricky because he was so much more eloquent than her.
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