Ye Tong quietly watched Tong Siyuan, as though he were watching a clumsy performance. With one lightly spoken "misunderstanding," Tong Siyuan wanted to brush aside the fact that he had hired killers. Wasn't that nothing more than a fool's dream?
The Miao family?
Merely to curry favor with the Tong Family, the Miao Family's patriarch had actually dispatched a group of experts to attack him. Ye Tong appeared calm on the surface, but beneath it, killing intent surged like an undercurrent, growing fiercer and fiercer.
And this Tong Family—they had brought him trouble time and time again. If they did not give him an explanation today, then there would be no need for the Tong Family to continue existing in Cold Mountain City. Before heading to the commandery city, he would have to pay a visit to the Tong Family's ancestral graves.
As Tong Siyuan was watched by Ye Tong, an inexplicable chill swept through his heart, making his hair stand on end beneath that gaze.
He had a feeling.
The one staring at him now did not seem human at all, but rather a terrifying ferocious creature.
Tong Siyuan swallowed. His gaze swept over Mou Xing and Crazy War Heaven's four-man group, all glaring like tigers watching prey, and helplessness filled his heart. The hell was this? The most powerful and influential figures of the War Tiger Adventurer Team were all here, and they were even acting as though Ye Tong were their leader. This was practically taking his life!
This Ye Tong.
What exactly was his background? Was he really just one of Poison Demon's Medicine Boys?
The commandery prince's son was deeply acquainted with him; the leaders of the renowned War Tiger Adventurer Team followed his lead; and that missing Poison Demon Huo Lanqiu... How had all those figures whom countless people needed to look up to become entangled with him?
"Come."
Tong Siyuan turned and waved at several subordinates carrying gift boxes. Then, with bitterness in his voice, he said, "Young Lord Ye, my son was spoiled by us elders and has committed many wrongs, even provoking you. That was our fault. My wife concealed from me that she had put a bounty on you and sent those adventurers to make trouble for you. That was also our fault. To make up for our mistakes, I have already taken many remedial measures. This modest gift is an expression of apology from the Tong Family. I hope you will not disdain it."
A lavish gift?
Ye Tong's gaze swept across the four boxes. Setting aside the three items that were clearly worth a great deal, the stack of banknotes alone was already dazzling.
Interesting!
Tong Siyuan's tact amused Ye Tong. He had been worrying that he would soon be heading to the commandery city and did not have enough silver to buy Blood Demon Worms, yet this "hero," capable of bending and stretching, had obediently brought him wealth. A wise man submitted to circumstances indeed. No wonder the Tong Family had flourished more and more under Tong Siyuan's leadership.
Tong Siyuan watched Ye Tong and noticed that Ye Tong had no intention of accepting the gifts. His heart immediately skipped a beat, and his hatred for the Miao Family grew even stronger.
"Young Lord Ye, this is only one portion, meant to compensate for the losses caused by my wife and son's mistakes. The Miao Family dared to send people to harass you, and I, Tong Siyuan, am the first to be displeased by it. Rest assured, within three days at most, once I have taught the Miao Family a lesson, there will naturally be another lavish gift for you."
Another one?
A strange expression appeared on Ye Tong's face, but he could still accept this sort of compensation. He waved a hand and said flatly, "Very well. Patriarch Tong is indeed thoughtful. I have honored guests here today, so I will not keep you any longer. Within three days, I will have the old servant at home prepare a cold meal. I hope Patriarch Tong will not disdain it."
Tong Siyuan's eyes brightened. He hurriedly said, "Of course not, of course not. Being able to taste the delicacies of the Precious Medicine Workshop is a blessing I must have cultivated over several lifetimes. Within three days, I will definitely come calling again."
The Tong Family had come quickly, and they left just as quickly.
Tong Kaishan, who had followed at Tong Siyuan's side, remained silent the entire time. He held neither killing intent nor resentment toward Ye Tong. The corpses and blood covering the ground had once again made him realize how terrifying Ye Tong was.
Ye Tong did not even glance at the corpses scattered across the ground. His smile was especially brilliant as he said, "Sorry for making you four witness such a spectacle. Please help me carry these things to the storeroom. While we are at it, I will take you to collect those pills and spirit liquids."
The four did not speak. They merely picked up the gift boxes and followed Ye Tong into the storeroom. They were extremely curious—what capability did Ye Tong possess that could make the Tong Family's patriarch of Cold Mountain City personally come to apologize and offer compensation? One thing they were certain of was that the Tong Family patriarch had lowered his head, and even seemed to be currying favor with Ye Tong, absolutely not because of them.
Then...
This matter was becoming rather strange!
However, the instant the four followed Ye Tong into the storeroom, even with their vast experience and knowledge, they were still stunned by the large number of exquisitely carved jade bottles inside.
Delicate and beautiful.
The plants carved onto the jade bottles were lifelike, while the animals were so vivid they seemed ready to come alive. It was not as though they had never seen the craftsmanship of skilled craftsmen, but they had to admit that they had never seen any skilled craftsmen's work that could compare with the carving artistry on these jade bottles.
They understood.
No wonder Ye Tong wanted to charge ten thousand Blue Gold for these jade bottles alone. If these bottles were taken out and sold by themselves, they would likely fetch no small price!
"Ye Tong, are these all of them?"
Mou Xing's eyes shone brightly as he asked.
Ye Tong said, "That's right. One hundred pills that increase cultivation; one hundred bottles of spirit liquid that strengthen the body; one hundred healing pills; one hundred detoxification pills; and one hundred bottles of poison. I have engraved the names of these pills and spirit liquids on the jade bottles, so they are easy to distinguish."
Mou Xing said with satisfaction, "Doing business with little brother Ye Tong truly is refreshing. Lao Jiu, pack up all the jade bottles."
"Sure!"
Chu Lao Jiu's smile was radiant, and his movements were especially swift.
On the medicinal herb market street.
Tong Siyuan's expression was frighteningly grim. Even the few people following beside him faintly felt a chill at their necks. Tong Kaishan, however, gestured toward the distance. A young man who had been lingering nearby quickly came over.
"Go find out where Miao Daqing is now!"
"Yes!"
Tong Siyuan stopped walking and turned to stare at his son, Tong Kaishan. A trace of gratification surfaced in his eyes.
Tong Kaishan said, "Father, do we act tonight?"
Tong Siyuan narrowed his eyes and sneered. "The Miao Family experts who died at the Precious Medicine Workshop today accounted for at least one-third of the Miao Family's strength. How could we let such a heaven-sent opportunity slip away for nothing? Inform the Lineage's tribe members to immediately sweep through the Miao Family's main shops in Cold Mountain City. Take what should be taken, rob what should be robbed. As for Miao Daqing and the Miao Family estate, we will spare them for now."
Tong Kaishan asked, "You want to make this matter bigger, so everyone in Cold Mountain City learns about it?"
Tong Siyuan nodded. "Ye Tong's identity is far too strange, unfathomably deep. Setting aside the War Tiger Adventurer Team, his friendship with the commandery prince's son alone is worth investing in. This time, by moving against the Miao Family, I want everyone in Cold Mountain City to know that Ye Tong is a friend of our Tong Family. Whoever dares use the Tong Family's name to make things difficult for him, whoever dares harm him, is making an enemy of the Tong Family and will suffer the Tong Family's retaliation."
As he spoke.
Tong Siyuan looked around and said quietly, "Cold Mountain City is, in the end, only a small city in a remote region. Before those true aristocratic clans of the major cities, we are still far too weak. If one day, we could develop under the protection of the commandery prince's residence..."
Their prospects would be boundless!
They would scale even greater heights of glory!
Such thoughts sprang into the minds of the people around him, and their eyes became exceptionally bright.
A single candle lamp.
Flickered within the storeroom of the Precious Medicine Workshop.
After sending off the four members of the War Tiger Adventurer Team, Ye Tong hurried back here. The first thing he did was take out the thick stack of banknotes and count them. To his satisfaction, the Tong Family had actually sent five hundred thousand Blue Silver in banknotes. Exchanged for gold notes, that would be fifty thousand Blue Gold.
Half an hour earlier.
He had possessed only a dozen or so taels of Blue Silver, tucked in his clothes. Yet within this half hour, the War Tiger Adventurer Team had first delivered the remaining payment of fifty thousand Blue Gold in gold notes, and then he had received five hundred thousand Blue Silver in banknotes from the Tong Family. Calculated in gold notes, aside from those dozen or so taels of Blue Silver, he had gained a total of one hundred thousand Blue Gold—an entire million Blue Silver!
One million!
The vexation Ye Tong had felt from constantly lacking money finally vanished at this moment. He even began looking forward more eagerly to the Tong Family patriarch's next visit within three days, wondering how many more benefits he might bring.
After putting away the banknotes.
Ye Tong looked at the other three wooden boxes.
A Dark Dagger gleaming with cold light, a milky-white suit of armor, and a black rhinoceros horn.
Ye Tong picked up the black rhinoceros horn and inwardly sighed at Tong Siyuan's shrewdness. Knowing that he cared most about poisons, Tong Siyuan had actually given him a horn from a Level Four Fierce Beast, the Poison Demon Rhinoceros.
One had to know that all the venom in a Poison Demon Rhinoceros's body was contained within its horn. Its toxicity ranked forty-fifth in the Hundred Poisons Compendium. Thus, this horn alone was worth at least several hundred thousand Blue Silver.
What a lavish gesture!
Ye Tong put down the black rhinoceros horn and picked up the Dark Dagger. When his fingers touched its hilt, threads of chill seeped into his fingertips. After injecting a small amount of vital energy into the dagger, he immediately sensed its extraordinary nature. In the unseen realm, it felt as though he and the dagger had fused into one. With a flick of his fingertips, the Dark Dagger flipped and danced with the nimbleness of an arm obeying a finger.
Pfft...
Saber Light flashed, and one corner of the iron rack was effortlessly sliced off by the dagger.
Ye Tong inwardly praised it. What a dagger that can cut iron like mud. It is absolutely a weapon made for killing.
Ye Tong tucked the dagger into his belt and concealed it beneath his outer robe. Then he picked up the milky-white armor. After examining it for a while, he discovered that it was exceptionally soft yet highly resilient. Ordinary people would likely find it difficult to pierce it even with swords or blades.
After putting down the armor, Ye Tong slowly walked to the storeroom door and leaned against the side of it, gazing at the buildings ahead. Yet his mind was turning over a thought. Is this the foundation of a great family? They can simply give away enormous wealth worth a million Blue Silver. Their generosity truly is no ordinary thing. But to the Tong Family, these valuables should only be a drop in the ocean, shouldn't they?
A figure passed through the corridor of the front building and appeared in the courtyard.
"Young Master."
The Medicine Slave's face was full of anxiety. After rushing into the courtyard and seeing Ye Tong beside the storeroom door, his heart, which had been hanging high in his throat, finally settled. The corpses outside and the blood all over the ground had truly given him a fright.
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