Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"Oh, beautiful lady, please let me take a look at your lovely bag. Otherwise, I can't promise what might happen..."

On a dimly lit and desolate street, a burly blonde man holding a knife blocked the path of a young Asian girl, about seventeen or eighteen, and said menacingly.

As he spoke, the man leered at the girl with a wicked expression, his gaze roaming her up and down.

"N-no, please, I beg you, don't do this."

The girl, fully aware that this man wouldn't be satisfied with just robbing her bag, pleaded desperately.

"Alright then, I guess I'll just have to help myself."

The man, unaffected by her pleas, gripped his knife and slowly advanced toward the girl. His footsteps echoed in the silent night, amplifying her anxiety.

"Excuse me... sorry, sir, do you happen to know where I can get fake IDs?"

Suddenly, a voice broke the tension as the man approached the girl.

"F**k!"

Startled, the man turned around abruptly. A figure wearing a demonic mask and draped in a red cloak stood not far away. The eerie mask, combined with the dark night, radiated a terrifying aura.

"Sir! Please save me!"

Although the Asian girl was initially startled by the masked figure, her desperation overruled her fear. She ran toward him, crying out for help.

"You b***h!"

The blonde man, unconvinced that the masked figure was any better than himself, felt humiliated when the girl, who had cowered in fear before, now sought refuge in the stranger's arms. Furious, he cursed loudly and pulled out a gun, aiming it directly at the fleeing girl.

"Wow!"

Ned (the masked figure) was taken aback by the casual use of firearms by New York criminals. Robbing banks was one thing, but now even street robbers had guns?

Ned, still adjusting to this world after his recent arrival, hadn't dealt with local criminals before. The sight of a robber wielding a gun was far beyond his expectations, despite what he'd heard about America's violence.

"Buzz!"

Realizing there wasn't enough time to disarm the man, Ned cast a protective spell on the girl, who was running toward him.

"Bang!"

The gunshot rang out, but when the bullet struck the girl, it merely sparked golden light and fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

The girl let out a delayed scream, her body trembling with fear. But soon, she realized she wasn't hurt. She stared down at herself, dumbfounded.

"F**k!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The robber, equally stunned by what he saw, fired several more shots.

This time, the girl understood what was happening. As the bullets struck her, her body emitted flashes of golden light. A shimmering golden shield, covered in intricate magical runes, materialized around her.

"Oh my god!"

The girl gasped and hastily pulled out a yin-yang charm, pressing it to her forehead with both hands while muttering prayers. Ned could faintly hear words like "Immortal Tai Shang, please appear!"

"Uh..."

Ned, speechless, said, "Miss, I can't speak for Tai Shang Laojun appearing, but haven't you noticed that the magic protecting you has nothing to do with yin-yang or bagua symbols?"

"I don't know if you've heard of Vishanti, but trust me, praying to them is far more effective right now."

Ned's first sentence was in Chinese, and the second in English. His response left the girl stunned, and she murmured, "Mr. Demon, did you save me?"

"But aren't your powers supposed to be black magic?"

"Uh... 'magic' is a good word, but this is technically called sorcery. And this mask is called the Mask of Agony—it has nothing to do with demons."

"What the hell are you two talking about?! Damn ese!"

The blonde man was on the verge of losing his mind. Who could explain why the seemingly helpless girl from a moment ago was now some kind of bulletproof superhuman?

"Fine, I may not be the 'descendant of the dragon' anymore, but I will still make you pay for your words."

Beneath the mask, Ned's face turned cold. With a flick of his wrist, a magical whip lashed out and dragged the man toward him. A single palm strike followed, forcing the man's soul out of his body.

"F**k! What did you do to me, you demon?! Nngh..."

The man screamed in terror as he saw his spirit separating from his body.

With the girl still present, Ned had no time to entertain the man further. He snapped his fingers, silencing the robber, intending to "deal with him properly" later.

Turning back to the girl, he said, "Miss, you can leave now. And remember, don't walk down dark alleys at night. Not everyone you meet will be a Sorcerer—or Spider-Man."

Ned quickly performed a series of hand gestures. Considering they were both of Asian descent (even if only in his past life), he decided to give her special treatment.

The golden shield surrounding the girl reappeared, condensed into a glowing orb, and merged into her yin-yang charm.

"Alright, next time you're in danger, just do what you did today—press the charm to your forehead and chant 'Tai Shang Laojun, appear.'"

Ned smiled as he spoke. "That'll invoke divine protection from the Six Ding and Six Jia guardians."

The girl, still processing everything, watched in awe. From her perspective, the masked man had summoned a glowing whip, dragged the robber over, and knocked him out with a simple touch.

"Thank you."

The girl expressed her gratitude, then cautiously asked, "Are you Chinese?"

Her face carried a mix of fear and curiosity, worried that her question might anger him.

"...No."

Ned fell silent, seemingly affected by her words, and then quietly answered. With that, he soared into the sky and vanished into the darkness, leaving the robber's body and spirit behind.

"Oh..."

The girl looked disappointed. She had wanted to ask why, as a supposed Chinese man, he wasn't dressed like the immortals in TV dramas but instead wore a Western-style costume. But now, it seemed, he wasn't Chinese after all.

'Still, he knows about Tai Shang Laojun—he must be someone who loves Eastern culture!'

She thought to herself as she hurriedly left the scene, leaving behind a collapsed body and a despairing spirit on the eerie, dark alleyway.

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