Relying Only on Oneself

Wu Yuan's burst of strength brought a rare moment of ease to the several high-ranking members of the Wu Clan, who had been feeling rather suppressed.

Three months ago, Wu Yuan taking fourth place in the Martial Arts Academy Grand Competition meant he had a great chance of becoming a 'Proficient Expert' in six or seven years.

But today?

In just over three months, he had gone from a Seventh-Rank Warrior to the level of a Sixth-Rank Martial Master. How astonishing was his progress?

Setting aside the future, even now, Wu Yuan was already one of the most formidable martial artists in the Wu Clan!

The entire Li City had nearly a thousand clan members, yet there were only nine Sixth-Rank Martial Masters, fewer than could be counted on one hand.

This showed how rare Martial Masters were.

The most elite troops stationed in Nanmeng Prefecture by the Hengyun Sect, the 'Nanmeng Army', only required one to be a 'Martial Master' to join.

"Wu Yuan is indeed a rare genius of our Wu Clan. If the Clan Head knew, he would likely be immensely pleased," the young man in the black robe sighed. "It's just a pity..."

"If only Wu Yuan had another three to five years to fully mature, why would we be so troubled today?"

The few people in the council hall fell silent, the joy of moments ago largely dissipating.

That's right!

Distant water couldn't quench a nearby thirst. No matter how amazing Wu Yuan's talent was, he was still just a Sixth-Rank Martial Master for now.

Only those at Fifth-Rank and above could truly be called 'experts'.

"Uncle Long, Sixth Grandfather, Uncle Dongyao..." Wu Yuan flipped his palm, placing a stack of silver notes and some loose silver coins on the table. "The reason I could cultivate so quickly is that I bought some cultivation items, which were quite costly. This is what I have left on me, all of it."

It totaled over eight hundred taels of silver.

In reality, Wu Yuan had received a total of three thousand taels of silver, plus one hundred taels from his reward in the Martial Arts Academy Grand Competition.

After deducting some household expenses and the silver needed to purchase a large quantity of Body Tempering Pills, he had over seventeen hundred taels remaining.

However.

Wu Yuan did not wish to reveal the initial 'one thousand taels of silver' he received. Moreover, he had other uses for the remaining silver.

"Wu Yuan, your cultivation is a major matter. You keep this money," the 'Sixth Grandfather,' who was the accountant, said directly.

He was the head of the Sixth Branch and held a high position with his Xiucai degree. Even Clan Head Wu Qiming greatly respected him.

A clan was like a small nation, and financial power was extremely important.

"The manor in the south of the city has been destroyed, and our clansmen have died. Rescuing the Clan Head is now the top priority," Wu Yuan shook his head. "Sixth Grandfather, please accept these silver notes. As for my cultivation, I will find a way."

Saying that.

Wu Yuan didn't allow them to refuse and continued, "Uncles and elder cousins, Uncle Dongyao has roughly told me what happened, but why did the Fierce Tiger Gang do this?"

"Our Wu Clan operates a cloth business, and we don't seem to have any conflict with the Fierce Tiger Gang," Wu Yuan said softly.

Knowing the cause and effect would allow him to find the right solution.

"Wu Yuan, by rights, you don't need to know this. But with your current strength, you are indeed qualified to bear the family's burden, so I will tell you," Wu Dongyao said softly.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The reason he had exposed some of his strength was twofold.

First, it was to gradually reveal his power, laying the groundwork for the future and avoiding attracting the vigilance and excessive attention of the world's ultimate experts by suddenly bursting with power one day.

Second, while he had acted low-key before to avoid trouble, it would be foolish to remain timid when disaster struck.

Exposing his strength today would gain the trust of his clansmen and allow him to resolve the disaster more quickly.

"The reason is that the Fierce Tiger Gang demanded our tribute this year increase from three thousand taels of silver to eight thousand taels, and they wouldn't even allow us to negotiate!" Wu Dongyao said.

"Hmph, it's customary for these gangs to collect money, but who raises it like this?" The young man in the black robe beside him also snorted coldly.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuan's brow twitched.

From three thousand to eight thousand taels? Exactly five thousand taels. Was it a coincidence?

Or was it deliberate?

Who was the influential figure behind the Fierce Tiger Gang?

"For gangs like these, to ensure a steady income, their annual fees, land taxes, and transit fees are usually not overly harsh," Wu Dongyao explained, perhaps worried Wu Yuan wouldn't understand. "Whether it's farming or doing business, profits usually don't fluctuate drastically. If they extort too much, it will provoke resistance."

"Resistance leads to casualties."

"The goal of gang members and bandits is to obtain money without fighting," Wu Dongyao said.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

The Hengyun Sect also collected taxes. The common people at the bottom already faced significant pressure to survive. If pushed too far, they would naturally fight back against gangs and bandits.

The purpose of joining gangs and becoming bandits, risking great danger, was for money, not to fight to the death.

The Fierce Tiger Gang's actions were very abnormal.

Keep in mind, the Wu Clan had several hundred people and could field a hundred elites composed of Seventh-Rank Warriors and Sixth-Rank Martial Masters.

If it came down to a fight, they would be a tough opponent.

"A few days ago, the Clan Head took five thousand taels of silver and personally went to the Fierce Tiger Gang," Wu Long said in a low voice. "He intended to negotiate, but unexpectedly, the Fierce Tiger Gang turned hostile, killed two accompanying clansmen, and detained the Clan Head."

"Subsequently, the Fierce Tiger Gang even sent a cavalry to attack our Wu Clan's manor in the south of the city. Fortunately, we were alerted early and evacuated quickly along the river."

"Even so, six clan members died."

"The manor was also destroyed," Wu Long's eyes reddened slightly. "The Fierce Tiger Gang also spread word that they want us to gather another eight thousand taels of silver and send it over, and only then will they release the clan leader."

"Otherwise!"

"Not only will the clan leader die, but the other manor in the south of the city will also be lost. Our Wu Clan will never be able to leave the city again."

Several high-ranking members of the Wu Clan had grim expressions. Wu Yuan showed a hint of anger on his face.

Killing people, destroying manors, and demanding another eight thousand taels of silver?

This was too much.

"Should we bow our heads?" Wu Yuan asked softly.

Since they had called him back to gather money, it was clear that the Wu Clan had chosen to submit and retreat.

"If we don't bow our heads, what else can we do?" Wu Dongyao gave a wry smile. "The clan leader is in their hands, and the Fierce Tiger Gang's strength is ten times that of our Wu Clan. If we were to fight them head-on, we might be able to inflict some losses on the Fierce Tiger Gang, but our Wu Clan would be completely finished."

"Even if we don't save the clan leader, if we can't leave the city anymore, the livelihood of our Wu Clan will be in jeopardy."

Wu Yuan fell silent.

For a cloth business, it was impossible to not leave the city. They couldn't possibly purchase raw materials within the city; that was unrealistic.

Living in Li City was not easy.

For hundreds of people, just the daily expenses for food and drink were a considerable burden. With only expenses and no income, the Wu Clan couldn't last long.

"Is there enough money?" Wu Yuan asked.

"By selling some properties and adding your contribution, it's barely enough," the sixth elder of the accounting department sighed. "But the news has spread, and everyone is desperately driving down prices. We can't sell the properties at a high price."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly.

Since ancient times, there have been few who offer charcoal in the snow, and many who add insult to injury.

"What about the clan elders?" Wu Yuan asked softly. "Can we request their help? And what about the yamen?"

"As long as the Fierce Tiger Gang doesn't come into the city to kill people, or carry out large-scale village or town massacres, the yamen won't intervene," Wu Dongyao shook his head. "As for the clan elders? They are thousands of miles away, and it will take several days just for the message to reach them."

"Moreover."

"Even if the clan elders are willing to help, distant water can't quench a nearby thirst. Can they really deal with the Fierce Tiger Gang?" Wu Dongyao sighed.

Wu Yuan understood.

No one could be relied upon.

If the Fierce Tiger Gang were targeting all cloth businesses or large areas of towns and villages, they wouldn't be able to suppress them. But now, they were only targeting the 'Wu Clan', which wouldn't provoke much backlash. Everyone was happy to watch the show.

"Uncles and elders, today, I will go find the Dean," Wu Yuan said.

"The Dean of the Martial Arts Academy has powerful strength, but he can't command two armies," a black-robed youth beside him shook his head, clearly not holding out hope.

"Wu Yuan."

The sixth elder of the accounting department, however, said, "Go ahead. Dean Zhang has many acquaintances. If he is willing to help you, perhaps there is a solution."

"Okay." Wu Yuan nodded and left the meeting hall directly.

Watching Wu Yuan's departing back.

"Sixth Uncle," Wu Dongyao frowned. "Don't say the Martial Arts Academy won't get involved in this matter. Even if they are willing, what can they do?"

"We all know it's useless," the sixth elder of the accounting department shook his head slightly. "But this child Wu Yuan is willing to contribute to the family. Should we refuse him? That would only make him more miserable."

"Constantly giving him support won't make him feel a sense of belonging."

"Let him contribute, and he will have an unbreakable bond with the family," the sixth elder said.

Everyone in the meeting hall seemed to be in deep thought.

"Alright."

"Let's not worry about Wu Yuan for now. Let him do whatever he wants. We will continue to find a way to gather the silver. The sooner we rescue the clan leader, the better."

After leaving the meeting hall, Wu Yuan only exchanged a few words with his mother before directly leaving the Wu Clan's ancestral mansion.

"Go find Dean Zhang?" Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

He wasn't naive.

In the adult world, it was all about interests.

Why would the Dean confront a major gang on behalf of the Wu Clan? What benefits would there be for him? In Wu Yuan's opinion, there was a hint of conspiracy behind this matter.

"Fierce Tiger Gang?" Wu Yuan walked along the street.

In his mind, he recalled the clan leader helping his family, as well as the six corpses lying on the ground in the ancestral mansion just now.

Of the eight clan members who had died, two couldn't even be found.

"It seems."

"I can only rely on myself." A hint of killing intent flashed deep in Wu Yuan's eyes.

Familiar with the routine, he returned home and changed into clothes he had recently bought but hadn't worn yet. Then, he used the 'Bone Shifting' technique to disguise himself as a tall, thin young man.

Wu Yuan headed straight for the Star Gathering.

This time, it wasn't to buy elixirs, but to acquire a weapon that would truly draw blood.

Since it would be a fight to the death, a suitable weapon was paramount.