Dirty Water

Ye Tong wasn't faking it. He could feel the arrogance of the other party, the aura emanating from the brocade-robed youth was strong, and even stronger was the middle-aged man standing not far away, holding a sword silently.

Sit and wait for death? That wasn't Ye Tong's style. Endure humiliation? The pride of two lifetimes wouldn't allow him to bow his head.

Ye Tong pulled the stopper from the bottle, and a captivating fragrance wafted out. Even a light inhale caused all his pores to open, giving him a feeling of floating towards immortality.

Gao Hu liked the scent, but conversely, he detested the young man before him. His Gao Family wasn't a major power in the county town, but the foundation accumulated over a hundred years and several generations was not something ordinary families could compare to. Most importantly, his second uncle was a city guard officer with a not-low position.

Normally, whether it was his playmates or the ordinary residents, Gao Hu saw them as worse than pigs or dogs. If they displeased him, they would be met with beatings or scolding.

Yet, this bastard in front of him dared to disrespect him, practically asking for death. He had come here to extort and plunder, planning to make a hefty profit by exploiting outsiders.

"Kid, I think you're asking for death!" Gao Hu drew his long sword, pointing the tip directly at Ye Tong.

The Medicine Slave squatted to the side, glancing at Gao Hu and his group. A mocking glint flashed in its eyes, then it slowly took out a jade bottle from its bosom, poured out a yellow pill, and casually popped it into its mouth.

Ye Tong shook his head and sighed, "If I'm not mistaken, you must be some spoiled second-generation rich kid from the county town, right? Your goal is very simple: to bully people with your influence, extort and plunder, wanting to buy pills from me at a low price and then resell them at a high price for a big profit, correct?"

Gao Hu's intentions were exposed, and he roared in anger, "Talk more nonsense, and I'll kill you. Kneel and apologize, and hand over the pills!"

"Scram!" Ye Tong's expression turned grim.

Dozens of meters away.

From the window of another pavilion surrounded by peach blossoms, Zui Qingshan stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene in front of the neighboring pavilion with great interest. He had discovered the young man yesterday, attracted by a pot of medicinal cuisine. However, the poisonous medicinal cuisine from yesterday had already piqued his interest, and he hadn't expected there to be more excitement today.

Eastern Mu Continent, Three Sects, Two Palaces, Eight Great Families.

He was a disciple of the Fengshan Sect's nineteenth generation, and also the senior disciple among the nineteenth generation. He had now broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, considered to have outstanding talent and be a peerless prodigy.

He had come to the county town of Zifu County this time to select young talents and expand the sect, as per the instructions of the sect elders.

"If you can fight, try not to use your mouth!" Zui Qingshan raised his hand and stroked his chin, eagerly anticipating a fight to break out next.

In front of the pavilion.

The tense atmosphere attracted the attention of many passersby. Lan Xiaozhu, a beautiful girl in a green dress, happened to be passing by and saw Ye Tong confronting the situation. She had lived in the county town since childhood and was very familiar with many things and people here, especially Gao Hu, who was facing Ye Tong. She had not only heard of his scandals but had also witnessed them, so she detested him from the bottom of her heart.

"Neither of them are good people."

Lan Xiaozhu muttered to herself, but when she thought of the young man who was about her age, it seemed that apart from not answering her question and not praising her lady, he hadn't done anything wrong. Immediately, comparing Gao Hu and Ye Tong, her biased scales tipped towards Ye Tong.

Who was Gao Hu?

He was someone accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing.

If the person standing in front of him was someone he had to look up to, or someone with a similar background, he wouldn't be angered by the word "scram." However, at this moment, this word made him feel humiliated, humiliated by an outsider youth.

Gao Hu roared sternly, "Kill him."

"Wait!" Ye Tong raised his arm, a hint of imperceptible cunning flashing in his eyes, and asked, "Before you make a move, would you care to introduce yourself? I don't like fighting nameless people."

"This young master is Gao Hu..."

After Gao Hu finished speaking, he suddenly remembered that he had already told the other party his name. The other party asking again was ignoring him, looking down on him, and not taking his previous words seriously.

"Clap, clap, clap..." Ye Tong applauded vigorously and exclaimed loudly, "The county town is truly a good place! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you, Gao Hu, dare to extort and plunder in full view of everyone, attempting murder for wealth. I'm impressed, truly impressed to the point of prostration. I want to ask, do your elders know that you are so ruthless, despicable, and shameless?"

"You..." Gao Hu's body trembled, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He regretted it!

He regretted letting this bastard speak again. With so many onlookers around, this smear campaign would likely spread his ill repute before long.

"A bunch of idiots." Gao Hu's eyes turned red, and he roared, "What are you all standing around for? Kill this damned brat for me."

Ye Tong took two steps back and sneered, "Exposed and enraged? Want to silence me? And then justify yourselves? And shut up the public's gossip?"

Dozens of onlookers around them all showed looks of disdain. Even if they were slower to understand, they finally grasped the reason for the conflict. Immediately, discussions began to erupt: "What this young man said is correct. This fellow named Gao Hu is truly ruthless, despicable, and shameless, disgracing all of us county town residents!"

"Relying on some connections and background to extort and plunder, treating human lives like grass. This Gao fellow isn't old, but he's truly rotten to the core."

"Who in more than half of the southern city doesn't know that the Gao family has produced a useless thing? Relying on the protection of his family elders, he has done all sorts of bad deeds over the years. He's truly worse than a pig."

"This young man has great courage and sharp words. Facing a villain like Gao Hu, he is not afraid at all. Truly a role model for us."

"I hope this young man doesn't suffer."

"Damn Jia Hai..."

Gao Hu's hearing was sharp, and as the surrounding discussions reached his ears, his shame and anger intensified, and his killing intent grew even stronger.

On the neighboring pavilion.

Zui Qingshan's smile widened, and he found it even more amusing. He hadn't expected the young man to have such backbone, to directly confront the provocation of the young master without fear. After today, Gao Hu's notorious reputation would likely spread far and wide.

"What a pity!"

"At the age of sixteen or seventeen, his cultivation is only at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining. If he were at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining, he would be suitable for the Fengshan Sect's disciple recruitment standards. I could take him as a disciple."

In the crowd, Lan Xiaozhu glared at Gao Hu indignantly. Having understood the situation, her inherent sense of justice made her wish she could beat Gao Hu soundly.

She couldn't understand how Gao Hu could be so shameless and malicious, wanting to kill someone after failing to extort and plunder. It was utterly shameless.

At this moment.

Lan Xiaozhu's impression of Ye Tong changed greatly. She deeply admired his courage in not fearing power and not bowing to evil. She felt that if he could appreciate her lady's calligraphy and paintings, and compliment her, he would be an even better person.

Four seemingly strong and robust youths lunged towards Ye Tong. The weapons they carried transformed into flashes of blade and sword light, aiming for Ye Tong's vital points.

Killing! Killing outsiders with no background was as effortless for them as slaughtering pigs and cows.

"Hmph..." A low, cold snort sounded, and a blur of motion flashed by. The four youths, all only at the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining, were sent flying backward. Their gleaming weapons clattered to the ground.

It was the Medicine Slave! He had acted instantly, defeating the four youths. In the blink of an eye, as everyone felt a flash before their eyes, he returned to his original position.

"How is this possible?"

Gao Hu's expression changed drastically. He stumbled back several steps before warily looking at the Medicine Slave. He had never dreamed that the seemingly frail old man possessed such terrifying strength. The fluctuation of aura just now indicated he was a Xiantian expert.

His ghost-like figure instantly appeared in front of Gao Hu. The middle-aged man holding a sword nearby already wore a look of vigilance.

Ye Tong's gaze fixed on the middle-aged man's face, and he asked with a smile, "Can't hold back any longer?"

The middle-aged man remained silent.

Ye Tong shook his head and sighed, "You don't seem like a villain. Following this kind of trash, don't you feel stifled? Forget it. Take him and scram. If you can get him home within half an hour, you might just save your own life. If you're late, hehe..."

The middle-aged man frowned upon hearing this. What did he mean?

Gao Hu, protected by the middle-aged man, felt his shock subside. Although he felt a bit unwell, he paid it no mind and loudly commanded, "Eagle Guard, kill them."

The middle-aged man said indifferently, "My duty is to protect you, not to take orders to kill."

"You..." Gao Hu was furious. Just as he raised his arm to point at the middle-aged man, his body suddenly trembled, and his face contorted in horror as he fell straight backward.

The middle-aged man instantly caught Gao Hu. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he looked up sharply at Ye Tong and said word for word, "You poisoned him?"

Ye Tong sneered, "My cultivation is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. If I don't use poison, do you expect me to fight you head-on? What's the difference between that and throwing an egg against a rock?"

"The antidote!" the middle-aged man demanded.

Ye Tong said indifferently, "Ten thousand taels of Blue Silver for one antidote pill. Take it or leave it."

The middle-aged man gave Ye Tong a deep look, then turned and sprinted away with Gao Hu in his arms.

"Hey, you only have a quarter of an hour," Ye Tong shouted at their retreating figures.

About ten meters away, a burly man asked, "Little brother, didn't you just say half an hour?"

Ye Tong smiled, "There is indeed half an hour until he dies from the poison. But that loyal Eagle Guard won't be feeling too good after a quarter of an hour either! Facing a Xiantian expert, I can't just poison Gao Hu and not him, can I?"

The burly man's expression shifted slightly, a chill crawling up his spine. The other dozens of people nearby also showed a hint of surprise, developing a sense of apprehension towards Ye Tong.