The monthly five hundred draw came from the seven factions. Xu Yi naturally had to help the weak and suppress the strong, lest he bleed the weaker ones dry and ruin the game. Feng Sihai was overjoyed. The distribution of each faction's power was already in his head; he didn't need to think it over. Xu Yi had barely finished speaking before Feng Sihai had drawn up a chart.
Things had come to this, and Third Young Master You had no choice but to go along. He and the others wrote their names on the chart, which Xu Yi then collected. He tossed each of the seven a Ruyi Pearl and set the terms: the pills were due on the third of every month. If any faction was late, one of its trade routes would be cut and handed to whichever faction paid first.
With the matter settled, Xu Yi collected that month's protection fee and left. In a flash, Third Young Master You sprang in front of Feng Sihai and pointed at him. "Feng, you're the scoundrel of the Abyss Sea! Our plight is all your fault. That Old Demon Kongxu is the kind of man who—"
"What kind of man am I?" Third Young Master You was in the throes of fury when Xu Yi's voice suddenly came from behind him. It was as if his backbone had been yanked right out of him. His legs went limp, and he nearly collapsed; luckily, the person behind him caught him in time. Third Young Master You forced a smile more miserable than a grimace.
"Brother Kongxu is naturally one of the finest men of our age: handsome beyond compare, with unmatched bearing..." Things had come to this; even words so false they sickened him had to be said. Xu