Squeezing Fat

Jiang Shaohuan glared with bloodshot eyes, staring at Xu Yi for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his hand and waved. Two teams of arrogant black-clad armored soldiers who had barged in, once again arrogantly stormed out.

The giant tiger also leaped out in a flash, as if it didn't want to stay another moment in this strange courtyard.

Its eagerness to leave angered Jiang Shaohuan, who casually threw his halberd. The tip of the weapon grazed the tiger's fur, startling it into leaping into the air.

Xu Yi wasn't interested in watching a tiger perform circus tricks. He told the furious Jiang Shaohuan, "You wait here first," and carried the unconscious Qiu Wa back to her room.

A short while later, Xu Yi reappeared and, like calling a servant, said, "Follow me," then moved towards the side room.

Xu Yi lounged with his legs crossed on a bamboo chair in the side room. Outside, Jiang Shaohuan, who had already broken a knuckle and was grinding his teeth, finally entered. He immediately launched into an attack, "The murder of my son is an irreconcilable hatred. Kid, I've investigated your background. You're nothing but a mere constable. If my Black Dragon Hall so much as lifts a pinky finger, we can crush you. Do you believe it or not?"

"I believe it!"

"You, you..."

After a series of stutters, Jiang Shaohuan began to feel his intelligence wasn't enough. He still had a whole speech prepared about how one would surely die if they offended the Black Dragon Hall, but the other party had already believed him.

How could he believe it so easily?

Looking at the flushed Jiang Shaohuan, Xu Yi felt a bit anxious for him. "I believe you! What do you think I should do? Commit suicide to atone for your son's death?"

Jiang Shaohuan wanted to cry. The plot had completely deviated from his plan; everything was a mess.

"Kid, I can see it now, you're a tough character who won't budge. I won't play games with you anymore. My foolish son brought his fate upon himself; if his life is gone, it's gone. I can let this grudge go. But you took something you shouldn't have, didn't you? Should you hand it over? I can guarantee that if you return what you took, this matter will be settled. Otherwise, my dignified Black Dragon Hall, with tens of thousands of members and countless experts, even if you hide in Guang'an City, we'll bury you with our lives, one by one. I've said all I need to say. The choice is yours!"

As the leader of a county branch, Jiang Shaohuan was certainly not stupid.

At first, he thought Xu Yi was just a reckless brute for daring to kill his son in public, so he had prepared this show of force to intimidate him.

But now, he could see that the other party wasn't a brute at all, but a stubborn, unyielding rogue. Playing games was useless, so he decided to drop the pretense and be direct.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this earlier!"

Xu Yi said, swinging his legs, "Getting the item is easy. I tried that thing. It looked interesting at first, but it's just a flashy piece of junk. If you want it back, no problem!"

"Ah!"

Jiang Shaohuan's mouth fell open.

Happiness had come too suddenly.

In fact, ever since he learned that the Iron Essence had been stolen by Young Master Jiang, he had wished he could flay Young Master Jiang alive. As a result, his resentment towards Xu Yi wasn't about his son's death at all; it was entirely focused on the Iron Essence.

At this moment, hearing that Xu Yi was willing to return the Iron Essence, his mission was accomplished, and the knot in his heart finally loosened.

"You're wise, kid!" Jiang Shaohuan reached out his hand towards Xu Yi.

Xu Yi glared, "What are you doing? I said I'd return the item, but I didn't say I'd give it to you for free. Your son deserved to die, true, but how do we account for the injuries my family sustained? How do we account for the Great Green Carp we painstakingly caught? How do we account for you destroying my courtyard just now? And how do we account for the mental and emotional trauma your Black Dragon Hall has inflicted upon my entire family..."

"Stop talking! Name your price, **! Just name it!"

Jiang Shaohuan suppressed his nausea and shouted sternly.

He could see it now; this kid was a scoundrel, and he was even bringing up emotional trauma. Looking at his shameless demeanor, did he seem afraid of the Black Dragon Hall? Compared to this kid, the Black Dragon Hall was practically a respectable citizen.

"Straightforward! Since you're being direct, I won't beat around the bush. I originally wanted a thousand gold, but for you, a friendly price, a fixed price, eight hundred gold!"

Xu Yi smiled broadly, as gentle as a spring breeze.

Boom!

Jiang Shaohuan suddenly punched out, and the roof of the side room was instantly blown away. His voice thundered, "Get out!"

Hall Master Jiang was furious. He felt as if his heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys were all being squeezed together by this surging rage. Having roamed the world for so many years, this was the first time Hall Master Jiang had been extorted.

"Hall Master Jiang, although this small courtyard belongs to the public, it has been damaged, and I will have to compensate for it. However, since we've met, and it's fate, I will pay the exorbitant repair costs on Hall Master Jiang's behalf. The price remains the same, eight hundred gold. If Hall Master Jiang finds this acceptable, we have a deal. If not, Hall Master Jiang can leave. Whether it's fighting or killing, this Yi will accept it all."

It wasn't that Xu Yi was asking for the moon; rather, ever since he'd been short on cash, he'd been thinking about money intensely.

He had rushed back from Linglong Pavilion specifically to wait for Hall Master Jiang, this walking wallet.

"I think you've gone mad for money! Do you believe that eight hundred gold could buy you ten lives?"

Although he had endured more humiliation in this place than he had in his entire life, Jiang Shaohuan knew he couldn't leave yet. More importantly, he saw that this kid regarded him as a fat piece of meat, determined to take a huge bite.

And yet, he was determined to get this Iron Essence.

Logically, if he could just kill Xu Yi in the arena, the Iron Essence would naturally fall into his hands. But who could guarantee that Xu Yi wouldn't hide the Iron Essence elsewhere before the fight?

It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Shaohuan had come in person.

His sole intention was to resolve the matter quietly.

"Eight hundred gold is too expensive? Hall Master Jiang, don't try to fool me. Since we can't agree, I'll just send the thing to auction. It looks like it has some potential, and perhaps it can fool many people and fetch a high price."

Xu Yi snorted coldly.

"Absolutely not!"

Jiang Shaohuan cried out urgently, as if his tail had been stepped on.

The word "auction" had struck him right in the heart.

This morning, at the Linglong Pavilion auction, a shocking piece of news had broken: an elder of the Shui Family had exchanged a Divine Essence Pill for an Iron Essence, causing a sensation in Guang'an.

Jiang Shaohuan feared that the Iron Essence at the auction might be his own, which was why he had rushed over in such a hurry.

Now, hearing Xu Yi say that he had tried the thing and that it had some divine properties but was flashy and insubstantial, it proved that Xu Yi hadn't yet realized the preciousness of the Iron Essence. It was clearly still in his possession, which would be convenient for Jiang Shaohuan to seize it through deception.

But now, hearing Xu Yi angrily say he would send the Iron Essence to auction... If this Iron Essence were to appear at an auction, wouldn't it cause an uproar? This Iron Essence originated from Guang'an, and many people had seen it. If even a little bit of its origin was revealed, it would lead to immense disaster.

Not only would he fail to obtain the Iron Essence, but he, Jiang Shaohuan, would also face certain death.