Chapter 581: 581:Master And Disciple
The man let out a shrill scream and nearly collapsed to his knees while panic instantly filled his face.
"My hand!"
"My fucking hand!"
Cold sweat poured down his forehead while his entire body trembled violently from the pain.
For a brief moment, the noisy tavern fell completely silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"You bitch!"
"How dare you!"
Several men immediately jumped up from their seats and rushed toward Miranda furiously while chairs overturned and mugs shattered loudly across the floor.
But Miranda did not even bother looking at them.
Instead, she calmly reached into her robe and slowly took out a delicate black flute.
Then she began playing softly.A strange melody spread across the tavern, and the eerie tune drifted through the air in a strangely gentle rhythm.
The people nearby stared at her in complete disbelief.
"What the hell?"
"Is this bitch crazy?"
"She is fucking playing music in the middle of a fight?"
The men looked at one another with confused expressions while the flute melody continued echoing softly around them.
"Someone grab her!" one of them shouted angrily.
A large man immediately lunged forward and stretched his hand toward Miranda’s neck.
But just before his fingers touched her...
He froze completely.
His body stopped moving in the middle of the motion while his eyes widened strangely as if something had suddenly taken control of him.
The people behind him looked confused.
"Damn! Why did he stop now?!" one man behind him screamed angrily while stepping forward.
But the next moment...
BANG!
The frozen man suddenly turned around violently and smashed his fist directly into the face of the man behind him, and the impact sent him flying backward while tables and chairs exploded apart loudly.
"WHAAT?!"
"The fuck?!"
The entire tavern erupted into panic.
The man who attacked looked just as shocked as everyone else, but his body kept moving unnaturally while the flute melody continued spreading through the room.
Miranda calmly sat there while playing the flute without even glancing toward them.
Then more people froze.
One after another.
The moment the strange melody entered their ears, their expressions twisted strangely while their bodies trembled slightly as if their minds were slowly slipping apart.
And then...
Chaos exploded completely.
"ARGHH!"
"You bastard!"
"You hit me first!"
Several men suddenly sprang at one another violently while smashing fists, bottles, and chairs against each other without restraint.
BANG! CRASH! BOOM!
One man grabbed another by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall while another smashed a wooden chair across someone’s head so violently that the chair shattered apart instantly.
Blood splattered across the floor.
People screamed in panic while others desperately tried to crawl away from the madness.Some tried to run.Others completely lost control and attacked whoever stood closest to them.
"The music!"
"It’s the fucking music!"
"Stop her!"
One man tried charging toward Miranda again, but midway through his sprint, his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot and he tackled his own companion instead before biting down on his shoulder viciously like a wild beast.
"AAAAAHHH!"
People started punching and even biting one another brutally while screams echoed endlessly throughout the tavern.
The entire place descended into complete madness.
Meanwhile, Miranda quietly sat on her chair while taking another calm sip from her mug between pauses in the melody, and her expression remained completely indifferent as if the brutal scene around her had nothing to do with her at all.
"Hmph... don’t blame me for being ruthless," she scoffed softly.
"You all deserved it."
A strange smile slowly formed on her lips while her fingers continued moving across the flute.
"And if my father had heard all this then... kkekekek..." she giggled darkly to herself while the violent chaos around her only continued growing worse.
**********
After the tavern descended into complete madness, Miranda calmly stood up from her chair while the screams and sounds of fighting continued behind her, and without even sparing the broken place another glance, she walked toward the exit with her flute still in hand.
The tavern owner hid beneath a counter trembling while several drunk men continued smashing each other senselessly across the floor.
One man was biting another’s ear.
Another was smashing mugs repeatedly against someone’s back while roaring like a beast.
Miranda simply scoffed softly and stepped outside.
The cold evening breeze brushed against her face, and the noise inside the tavern became muffled once the wooden door closed behind her.
A few meters away, beneath the shade of a large tree, Zach sat lazily against the trunk while chewing on a blade of grass.
His posture looked relaxed as always, and one of his legs rested over the other while he stared calmly at the distant road.
The moment he sensed Miranda approaching, a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Did you finish them?" he asked casually.
Miranda stopped beside him and crossed her arms lightly.
"I didn’t kill them," she replied calmly.
Zach raised a brow slightly.
"Why?" he asked.
Miranda looked back toward the tavern briefly before answering.
"Living with battered bodies is worse," she said indifferently.
For a brief moment, Zach stayed silent.
Then he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"As expected of my disciple!" he shouted proudly while slapping his knee.
Miranda rolled her eyes seeing his exaggerated reaction, but a faint smile still appeared on her face.
After calming down slightly, Zach leaned back against the tree again and looked at her quietly for a moment.
"So what do you want to do now?" he asked.
"I have already taught you everything I know, and now the path ahead is yours to walk."
Miranda paused slightly hearing those words, and for the first time, her expression became a little complicated.
After staying silent for a moment, she finally spoke softly.
"Then... I want to go home."
Her voice carried a faint longing.
Then she looked at him again.
"What about you?" she asked.
Zach paused.
Slowly, he turned his head and looked toward the sky above them while the evening wind gently moved his long hair.
A strange gleam flickered across his eyes for a brief moment.
"I too have been away for so long," he said quietly.
"It’s time for me to return."
Miranda blinked slightly and tilted her head.
"Where is your home?" she asked while pouting lightly.
"Even though we stayed together for so long, you never revealed anything."
Seeing her expression, Zach laughed again and casually pointed one finger toward the sky.
"There," he said.
"I live up there."
Miranda stared at him for a second before immediately frowning.
"Can you stop kidding around now, Master?" she complained.
"Why don’t you just tell me you live in heaven?"
The words made Zach pause.
His playful smile slowly faded for a brief moment, and a strange dazed look appeared in his eyes.
"Heaven..." he murmured softly.
Then a faint bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"I wish I could go there."
Miranda’s expression changed slightly hearing that tone, but before she could ask anything more, Zach shook his head lightly and smiled again.
"Don’t worry, my disciple," he said warmly.
"I can swear that we will meet again."
He slowly stood up while dusting off his clothes.
"And in fact, next time we meet..." he added with a grin.
"You will be shocked to see me."
Before Miranda could respond, Zach suddenly took out a flute.
Then he began playing softly.
A gentle melody drifted into the air, and unlike the eerie tune Miranda used earlier, this melody felt peaceful and strangely comforting.
The wind slowed slightly.The leaves above rustled gently.
Miranda unknowingly became mesmerized by the music, and her eyes slowly lost focus while she quietly listened.
The melody felt distant.
Lonely.
Yet warm at the same time.
Time seemed to pass strangely.
Then finally, the music stopped.
Miranda blinked and slowly came out of her dazed state.
But the moment she looked forward her expression froze.
"Master?"
The place beneath the tree was empty.
Zach was gone.
Only the faint sound of rustling leaves remained while the evening wind quietly passed through the area.
