Under my iron grip, the old man could not even fight back. His neck had been squeezed into a crumpled mess, and with just a little more force, it might have snapped. All he could do was wave his arms and kick his legs, trying to break free of my hand while babbling incoherently.
"Brother Xia, stop!" Mao Feng hurriedly tried to persuade me, immediately moving to help the old man break free. I gave Mao Feng the respect he was due and tossed the old man aside. "Believe it or not, I have countless ways to make you disappear without a trace."
I had already felt uncomfortable with human trafficking, but since I lacked sufficient strength, I had been willing to handle the matter somewhat peacefully. Yet this swindler had raised the price on the spot and even coveted the Immortal-Gathering Basin, inevitably igniting my fury.
The old man suddenly began coughing, while the central meridians gradually propped up his neck, which I had squeezed flat. Only then did he look at me fearfully—but merely for an instant. He seemed to remember something and shouted angrily, "You are forcing a sale! I will report this matter to the Merchant Alliance!"
"Heh, won't the Merchant Alliance investigate your conduct as well?" I shot back sarcastically. The old man's expression immediately changed slightly. I did not stop and continued, "You took a fancy to my belongings, then tried to raise the price on the spot and barter for them. This transaction of yours can hardly be called honorable."
The old man's expression was ugly, while Zhao Ziyu's voice soon reached my ears through telepathy. "The Merchant Alliance wields considerable power. Could it be that Fellow Daoist Xia doesn't know? Using force against someone like this is truly not the best policy.