The sudden slap interrupted the incessant chatter of Li Cang, leaving a faint handprint on his jaw.

This slap, Yun You used almost all her strength.

If it had landed on an ordinary person's head, it might have sent their skull flying, but unfortunately, Li Cang was a genuine Apprentice Death God, with skin thicker than steel. The slap merely left a mark.

Nevertheless, the insult of this slap was significant, even rendering Li Cang bewildered.

He initially thought his scheme would create some rift between the mentor and the apprentice.

But he never expected Yun You to react this way, slapping him, an experienced Apprentice Death God, for a mentor she had just met.

He certainly couldn't understand the girl's thoughts.

To Yun You, Old Jin was an old friend, both a mentor and a guardian.

Could what Li Cang said, about "Old Jin sabotaging his apprentice," be true? Perhaps it could be, but for Yun You, it didn't matter.

Because up until now, Old Jin had been helping her unconditionally, earning gold coins, teaching her ample knowledge, and doing everything for her sake.

For Yun You, that was more than enough.

She was vindictive but also showed great respect for those who treated her well.

The little girl might have a playful tongue, but she always held her principles deep inside.

She felt she should retaliate, so she did.

After all, this place was Ethernet, a completely anonymous place, even if Li Cang wanted revenge, he could only vent in the Virtual World.

Back in reality, how could he know who was who?

"You..."

Li Cang instinctively touched his jaw, a slight hint of pain rising immediately.

Along with it came an indescribable humiliation and anger.

He saw that Yun You was indeed a good prospect, so he wanted to provoke some doubt, at least make the girl and Old Jin less harmonious and not become model mentors and apprentices...

But his little cleverness only earned him a slap and a retaliation.

Veins began to pop on his forehead.

"You bastard!"

Li Cang instinctively reached out and returned a slap.

His strength was undoubtedly many times greater than Yun You's; with just one slap, the wind pressure raised by the edge of his palm blew away the surrounding chairs.

If it hit, Yun You's virtual body might evaporate on the spot, without a trace left.

But at the critical moment, a large hand suddenly stretched out from the side, heavily pressing on Li Cang's wrist, suppressing all that terrifying force.

In an instant, everything calmed down, and all the momentum and turbulence were suppressed by that hand.

Li Cang dumbly looked up, only to find the person who did it was staring at his lowly figure with a calm yet cold gaze.

It was Old Jin.

In Yun You's eyes, wearing a wide military uniform, he always exuded a sense of security.

But in the eyes of his enemies, this nearly 1.95-meter-tall soldier had a daunting presence.

However, if Li Cang could remain rational and observe carefully, he would notice that Old Jin's eyes weren't only showing surface-level coldness, but also had a faint, almost unnoticeable "joy" hidden within.

It had been a long, long time since anyone stood up for him.

Even verbal support was absent.

Li Cang's words might have been exaggerated, but Old Jin had indeed been scorned and even verbally attacked by those close to him.

He originally thought that he and Yun You, although technically mentor and apprentice, had little more than a simple interest relationship, without much affection.

Yet, the little girl defended his dignity.

To Old Jin, that was more precious than any wealth or treasure.

So he unhesitatingly took action to block Li Cang's slap.

"It was your apprentice who struck first. Don't you understand the rules of Ethernet and the organization?"

Li Cang glared fiercely at Old Jin, forcefully trying to pull his hand away, but found he couldn't shake off Old Jin's grasp.

Old Jin's hand, like a mountain, pressed tightly on his wrist, leaving him immobile.

"I had every right to hit her; even if I killed her, it'd be her own fault... I was following the rules!"

Only at this point did Li Cang panic a bit, hurriedly bringing up the so-called "rules."

"What rules? Do you think you have the right to talk about rules in front of me?"

Old Jin held Li Cang's arm and casually tossed him aside, like throwing a chick, sending him rolling on the ground for over a dozen times before he stopped against a pile of chairs.

"My student beat you today, and I'm siding with her. What are you going to do about it?"

Old Jin, with his hands behind his back, said calmly, "Complain? Then go ahead, call your little group over here, I want to see if they have the qualifications to judge me using the rules."

"Or do you want to impeach me in the council? Fine, bring all those who dislike me, let's see if they can shake a member of the 'Supreme Council.'"

For the first time, Old Jin lost his temper.

No, to be accurate, this wasn't quite losing his temper, it was just using the power he already possessed to silence someone.

Old Jin rarely did this, but this time, for Yun You, he did so without hesitation.

Li Cang climbed out of the chair pile with difficulty, his throat moved as if dissatisfied, but he was still trying to mutter something.

But Old Jin merely glanced at him lightly, causing him to shiver and shut his mouth.

Perhaps only then did he finally realize the exalted status and formidable power the man he had just belittled had once possessed.

Old Jin usually stayed low-key because he was used to being a "low-key invisible man," not because he was a paper tiger with no temperament or strength, easy to pinch as one pleased.

So, despite any remaining discontent, Li Cang could only shut his mouth and run away dejectedly.

"..."

Watching Li Cang log off at lightning speed, the mentor and apprentice stared at each other silently with wide eyes and little ones.

"Impressive..."

After a while, Yun You finally broke the silence, giving her master a thumbs up.

"Master, you were pretty cool just now."

"Cool?"

Hearing this word, Old Jin was first taken aback, and then chuckled twice.

"What's cool about that? It was just relying on power to bully someone, girl, don't you ever learn from that."

"What power bullying?"

Yun You shook her head with a light snort and said, "Isn't it all about one's own abilities?"

"In Nest City, people with real skills do have privileges, they are superior to others, what's wrong with that."

"If you, Old Jin, weren't stronger than him, then we two would have been the ones thrown out today, right?"

Old Jin couldn't refute those words because that's how society in Nest City was; only those with strong fists could ignore the rules like he did.

"Perhaps you're right, but..."

Old Jin paused for a moment, then with a slightly desolate tone, softly said, "Your master is a hypocritical failure, pursuing [justice] most days, but sometimes can't help but resort to force and violence."

"But despite this, I still hope, girl, that you won't learn from me, that you'll hold on to your true self and not be blinded by so-called privileges, believing the weak and the underprivileged should be bullied, and not to trample over those weaker than you with disrespect for their life and dignity."

"Of course, I understand that."

Yun You nodded firmly, her clear voice carrying not a hint of deception.

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