Twenty-eight: It Was All a Misunderstanding

Tong Siyuan believed he had seen through his son's true nature. "How could I not understand your temperament? I've already heard about your recent behavior. It's very abnormal. If you hadn't gotten yourself into some kind of trouble, how could you possibly stay obediently at home every day and train so desperately in this martial arts ground?"

"Can't I turn over a new leaf?"

Hearing his father's words, Tong Kaishan finally let out the breath he had been holding. As long as Mu Xiaochen had not come knocking to make trouble, everything was fine.

Tong Siyuan roared, "Tell me."

Tong Kaishan fell silent for a moment before saying, "Father, some time ago, I heard something from an enemy that gave me a different understanding of certain matters. So I felt that I should no longer stir up trouble everywhere as I had before. Instead, I should cultivate properly. Only by becoming stronger could I better protect my own life."

Tong Siyuan froze, then asked curiously, "Who was it? What did he say?"

Tong Kaishan said, "It was Ye Tong. He said..."

Tong Siyuan quietly listened to his son. The more he heard, the more astonished he became. By the end, he was completely stunned. At last, he understood why his troublesome son had suddenly changed so drastically. It turned out that he had experienced a great awakening and finally understood that no power could compare to becoming strong himself.

"Good! Good!"

Tong Siyuan burst into loud laughter. "I was originally furious with that Ye Tong. If I hadn't been wary of Poison Demon Huo Lanqiu, I would have personally gone to his door and slaughtered him long ago. Who would have thought that he possessed such insight, enough to make my son awaken completely and mend his ways? I even feel that losing this arm of yours was worth it."

Tong Kaishan said, "Father, we absolutely must not provoke Ye Tong again in the future. Otherwise, it will bring a calamity of utter destruction upon our Lineage."

Tong Siyuan asked, "Why do you say that?"

Tong Kaishan said, "Because Ye Tong is extremely close to Mu Xiaochen, the son of the Zifu County Lord. As for what kind of connection they truly have, I do not know."

Tong Siyuan's pupils shrank as he asked in horror, "You aren't lying? How could Ye Tong know the County Lord's son?"

Tong Kaishan shook his head. "I don't know."

Slap...

Tong Siyuan struck Tong Kaishan across the face and cursed furiously, "You failed to tell me something this important sooner? Are you stupid beyond saving? Our Tong Family still has a bounty on Ye Tong's head. If some adventurers accept the task and go after Ye Tong, won't the County Lord's son come to hate our Tong Family? Will you only be happy once my Tong Family is wiped out?"

After taking several rough breaths, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Come with me. Prepare a generous gift immediately and go to the Precious Medicine Workshop to apologize. Also, send people out at once to spread the word that our bounty against Ye Tong has been canceled."

Precious Medicine Workshop.

Ye Tong had been refining pills for days on end. Both his physical and mental energy had been consumed greatly. Knowing the importance of balancing work and rest, the moment he stepped out of the storeroom, he stretched comfortably.

"What a beautiful sight!"

Ye Tong raised his head to gaze at the heavens. Night had already fallen, and the stars glittered brilliantly, brighter and more dazzling than the night sky on Earth. Ye Tong decided that when he had time in the future, he would have to study this star map carefully.

"I wonder whether this world has physiognomists?"

Ye Tong suddenly thought of this.

Then.

He shook his head again. Perhaps there were no physiognomists, but there might be quite a few cultivators capable of astrology. If he truly encountered one in the future, he would certainly seek instruction humbly.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Ye Tong showed a hint of surprise. He had sensed several auras approaching the Precious Medicine Workshop. When he went out to meet them, he saw four familiar faces: Mou Xing, Crazy War Heaven, Ying Lei, and Chu Lao Jiu.

"Brother Ye Tong, it's been many days since we last met. This old brother has missed you dearly!" Crazy War Heaven possessed a thunderous voice. The instant he saw Ye Tong, he spread his arms and strode toward him.

Ye Tong smiled faintly. He did not resist the gesture. After embracing him, he said with a smile, "The three bosses of the War Tiger Adventurer Team, along with Master Chu Jiu, have personally come. Truly, honored guests have arrived at my door! No wonder the magpies at the entrance of my Precious Medicine Workshop have been chirping nonstop since early this morning."

Crazy War Heaven asked in confusion, "What is a magpie?"

"Uh..."

The smile on Ye Tong's face froze. Then he shot him a fierce glare before striding toward Mou Xing, spreading his arms, and smiling. "First Boss, hello!"

The corners of Mou Xing's lips curved upward. With a flash, she dodged aside and said with a half-smile, "I once said that anyone who wishes to embrace me must become my man. Little Brother Ye, are you certain you want to marry me as your wife?"

"..."

Ye Tong awkwardly looked toward Ying Lei and found that this fellow's appearance had been restored to its original state. He had the refined air of a scholarly gentleman. Ye Tong smiled and asked, "Third Boss, have you fully recovered?"

Ying Lei smiled gratefully and clasped his hands in salute. "I will never forget your life-saving grace. Ying Lei knows that Brother Ye regards money as dung, so I will not use such vulgar things to express my gratitude. In the future, if there is ever anything you need from Ying Lei, please speak freely. So long as I can do it, even if you ask me to brave a Sea of Blades and Sea of Fire, I will have no objections."

"Actually, I think vulgar things are quite nice too." Ye Tong waved with a smile. After chatting with Chu Lao Jiu for a few more sentences, he looked at Mou Xing and asked, "First Boss, you came this time to collect the pills and spiritual liquid you ordered, right?"

Mou Xing smiled. "That's right."

Ye Tong said, "The total price of those pills and spiritual liquids is fifty thousand Blue Gold."

Five thousand Blue Gold?

Mou Xing and Chu Lao Jiu exchanged glances, surprise appearing on their faces. They had previously estimated the value of those pills and spiritual liquids to be between eighty thousand and one hundred thousand Blue Gold. Yet Ye Tong's price was only fifty thousand Blue Gold. Wasn't that too little?

Ye Tong added, "However, my old servant said that the jade bottles I personally carved to hold the pills and spiritual liquids cost several hundred Blue Silver each. For the total price of several hundred jade bottles, just give me ten thousand Blue Gold. Altogether, that makes sixty thousand Blue Gold."

Jade bottles?

Ten thousand Blue Gold?

Everyone smiled bitterly. The pills were being sold so cheaply, yet he was opening his mouth like a lion over the jade bottles used to hold them. Ye Tong truly was... an oddity.

Mou Xing did not haggle. She nodded at Chu Lao Jiu, who then produced five gold notes worth ten thousand Blue Gold each. "This is the remaining payment. Together with the ten thousand Blue Gold from before, it is exactly sixty thousand Blue Gold."

"Straightforward."

Ye Tong carefully tucked the gold notes into his chest, then said with a smile, "Everyone, come with me! The medicinal herbs I used for the pills refined this time were all quite good, and what I refined..."

His words suddenly stopped.

His gaze turned toward the entrance.

A shrewd-looking young man barged in from outside with more than a dozen cultivators brimming with Killing intent. The auras emitted by these cultivators were powerful, and among them were two experts of the Innate Realm.

"Ye Tong?"

The young man merely swept his gaze over Mou Xing, Crazy War Heaven, and the others before locking onto Ye Tong and asking in a deep voice.

Ye Tong said calmly, "That's me."

The young man sneered and waved his hand. "You're the one we're looking for. Kill him. Cut down his head and send it to the Tong Family to collect the bounty."

At once.

More than a dozen cultivators charged forward.

Crazy War Heaven flew into a rage and rushed to meet them. Yet Ying Lei, who carried a strong scholarly air, was even faster than Crazy War Heaven. The instant he drew the sword from his back, streak after streak of sword light flashed, and several cultivators died miserably beneath his blade.

Crazy War Heaven's cultivation was at the Xiantian Sixth Level, while Ying Lei was at the Xiantian Fifth Level. Although two of the dozen or so men were also Innate Realm experts, they were only at the Innate Second Level. In less than half a quarter-hour, Crazy War Heaven and Ying Lei had slaughtered every last one of them.

The young man's face turned deathly pale.

Corpses covered the ground, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

He had originally believed that bringing nearly one-third of his Lineage's strength would allow him to kill Ye Tong with ease. Yet who could have imagined that two powerful experts of unknown origin would slaughter every person he had brought?

They...

Where had these killing gods come from?

The young man wanted to turn and run, but he discovered that a killing intent had already locked onto him. He understood that if he so much as moved, he would suffer a merciless execution.

It was over!

The young man wanted to cry, and his legs trembled slightly.

Crazy War Heaven wiped his long saber and looked toward Ye Tong. "Brother Ye, were these people sent by the Tong Family to cause you trouble?"

Ye Tong shook his head and looked at the young man. "Who are you people? Did you come here to kill me for the Tong Family's bounty?"

"Who dares impersonate my Tong Family? Who dares come here and harm Young Master Ye?" A booming voice rolled in from outside. Immediately afterward, Tong Siyuan strode through the gates of the Precious Medicine Workshop with Tong Kaishan and several Tong Family experts.

However.

The moment they clearly saw the scene in the courtyard, their expressions changed drastically.

Ye Tong frowned. He did not know why the Tong Family head had come with Tong Kaishan and those Tong Family experts carrying gift boxes, but from Tong Siyuan's words, it seemed this matter had nothing to do with them. Moreover, his words seemed to carry the intention of drawing close to him.

Could it be...

Because of Mu Xiaochen?

Ye Tong ignored the Tong Family members and instead stared at the young man. "Speak. Who exactly are you people?"

The young man was nearly frightened out of his wits. He had never imagined that Tong Siyuan, the Tong Family head, would come here. And judging by the gifts the Tong Family members had brought, they had clearly come to curry favor with Ye Tong! Where was the previous aggressive momentum of fighting and killing?

The young man was clever. Having seen through everything, he said with trembling lips, "No, we are from the Miao Family of Cold Mountain City. I... my master heard... heard that the Tong Family head was going to trouble you, so he ordered me to bring the Lineage's experts here to kill you, then carry your head to curry favor with the Tong Family head."

"Bastard."

Tong Siyuan's expression changed drastically. If this had happened half a day earlier, he might have been delighted to see it. But now, he could not wait to curry favor with Ye Tong. How could he possibly still have any desire to oppose him? That damned Miao Daqing was trying to ruin him!

Tong Siyuan burned with fury. In an instant, he drew a dagger and plunged it directly into the young man's heart. Only then did he say with a bitter expression, "Young Master Ye, it was all a misunderstanding!"