Planning Ahead

Zui Qingshan on the neighboring pavilion found it interesting and felt more appreciative of Ye Tong. However, Lan Xiaozhu, who was in the crowd, felt her good impression of Ye Tong diminish. In her opinion, anyone who used poison was not a good person.

"Medicine Slave." Ye Tong sat back down in his chair as if the previous commotion hadn't involved him at all.

The Medicine Slave cheerfully walked towards the four youths lying on the ground, took out a jade bottle, and poured out four yellow pills. As he stuffed the pills into the youths' mouths, he sighed, "Young Master, these Detoxification Pills are extremely precious. Giving them to these guys is simply a waste. Even if we have some savings, we can't afford to be this extravagant!"

Ye Tong calmly said, "Ten thousand taels of Blue Silver per pill. Pay up and take them."

In an instant, the surrounding crowd showed strange expressions. It seemed like the Detoxification Pills on the stall were only ten thousand taels of Blue Silver per bottle, and each bottle contained ten pills.

This young man... was truly an oddity!

However, the fact that he had the old slave feed the four youths the Detoxification Pills before the Gao Family could pay the ransom indicated that he didn't intend to kill them, showing a bit of kindness in his heart.

As the show ended, the crowd dispersed.

Ye Tong sat upright in his chair, a hint of helplessness appearing on his delicate face. He sighed softly, "The garden's beauty is endless, and all creatures in the forest compete for freedom. I thought Peach Garden was secluded, picturesque, an earthly paradise untouched by worldly conflicts. Alas, there are too many unruly individuals, disturbing this pure land."

"Where there are people, there will be disputes," a sudden voice sounded in Ye Tong's ear.

Ye Tong looked over and saw a thin middle-aged man with a smile appear before him. He nodded slightly and said with a faint smile, "That is true."

Zui Qingshan chuckled, "You're quite interesting, but unfortunately, you're a bit weak. If you cultivate diligently in the future and can break through to the Innate Realm in the next few years, you might have a chance."

After speaking, he floated away.

"What do you mean? Leaving after showing off?" Ye Tong's eyes were filled with confusion. He found the middle-aged man's abrupt words somewhat amusing, but then he remembered that there were all sorts of people in the world and felt at ease.

Moreover, Ye Tong was only slightly surprised and not afraid in his heart. What was a Foundation Establishment stage expert to him? If pushed too far, Ye Tong still had his means.

The Medicine Slave narrowed his eyes and watched the retreating figure of the thin middle-aged man. He calmly said, "He's a Foundation Establishment stage expert."

"Huh? A Foundation Establishment stage expert?" Ye Tong was stunned.

Based on his understanding, the total number of Foundation Establishment stage experts in Zifu County was probably less than three. In the entire Sky Net Empire, it was less than ten. These were the absolute top super experts of the Sky Net Empire! How could one appear before him?

"Are you sure?" The Medicine Slave nodded.

"Certain." Ye Tong forced a bitter smile. "Alright! Fortunately, he didn't have any hostility towards us. Otherwise, we would have been in grave danger."

The Medicine Slave was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "If he's the only Foundation Establishment stage expert, I'll risk this old life to protect you, Young Master."

"So what if he's a Foundation Establishment stage expert? He can't just come and deal with us for no reason," Ye Tong looked at the Medicine Slave, a realization dawning in his heart. Perhaps the Medicine Slave also had some trump cards.

Ye Tong handed over the stall to the Medicine Slave to watch over, while he circled the pavilion a few times and then got busy. He could guess that although Gao Hu had left, this matter would not end easily. The fact that Gao Hu could be so arrogant proved that his Gao Family elders were not to be trifled with. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before a member of the Gao Family came to cause trouble again.

Forewarned is forearmed; this was Ye Tong's nature. He didn't believe that just the two of them, him and the Medicine Slave, could contend against the entire Gao Family.

Tian-character Pavilion, No. 109.

It was the most magnificent pavilion in the entire Peach Garden Inn. Ancient trees towered around it, casting lush shade. Blooming peach blossoms wove a pink haze, and a river like a green ribbon encircled it. Only a winding small bridge connected to the garden in front of the pavilion, where beautiful zither music echoed.

In the pavilion by the door, Lan Tianyu sat cross-legged before the ancient zither. Her fingers fluidly plucked the strings, releasing music like flowing water. The quiet Lan Xiaoshui, with a smile on her lips, was immersed in it.

"Ding..." As the last note of the zither music faded, Lan Tianyu slowly raised her head and happened to see Lan Xiaozhu, who was lost in thought, crossing the small bridge to approach her. She brushed her fingertips across the strings again and said softly with a smile, "Xiaozhu, what are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed?"

Lan Xiaozhu awoke as if from a dream. Seeing the smile in her master's eyes, she immediately ran to her side and said indignantly, "I'm thinking about bad guys! A big bad guy and a little bad guy."

"Pfft..." Lan Tianyu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Who offended our Xiaozhu? Tell me, and I'll help you get revenge."

"No! It's just..."

She recounted her first encounter with Ye Tong and what had just happened. Finally, she said angrily, "Although that stinky guy selling medicine didn't praise you, and Xiaozhu felt unhappy about it, that Gao Hu was truly shameless. He tried to extort and, when others refused, even threatened to kill them."

A glint flashed in Lan Tianyu's eyes. She hadn't expected such an interesting young man.

After Lan Xiaozhu finished speaking, she hesitated and tentatively asked, "Miss, the Gao Family are all bad people. If Gao Hu suffered a loss, do you think the Gao Family will let it go? I heard that someone offended Gao Hu before, and the Gao Family sent people to beat him to death."

"They won't!" Lan Tianyu said thoughtfully, "Perhaps it won't be long before the Gao Family's experts arrive."

Lan Xiaozhu showed a hint of anxiety and asked, "Then what should we do? Miss, he... he's staying here. Do you think we should help him?"

Lan Tianyu didn't answer but instead inquired, "After Gao Hu was taken away, did that young man really have his servant give the poisoned youths the antidote?"

"Yes!" Lan Xiaozhu said, "That old slave felt a bit heartbroken. That guy said each Detoxification Pill was ten thousand taels of Blue Silver, and they would only let the Gao Family take the people away after payment."

Lan Tianyu said thoughtfully, "Intelligent, ruthless methods, a kind heart, and audacious... Interesting. It's really been a long time since I've met such an interesting young man."

Suddenly, her expression changed. She remembered the interesting young man of sixteen or seventeen that Mu Qianlan had mentioned yesterday and couldn't help but laugh. She realized that she and Mu Qianlan were truly becoming more childish, both developing an interest in young men.

"Miss..." Lan Xiaozhu called out softly.

Lan Tianyu smiled, "Don't worry! With that young man's intelligence, even without our help, he'll be able to escape danger. However, I wonder what method he'll use to resolve this trouble?"

Gao Family Manor.

The middle-aged man staggered back to the entrance carrying Gao Hu, then collapsed onto the ground.

"It's Young Master! Hurry, someone..." The four burly men at the manor entrance rushed towards them.

Soon, Gao Hu and the middle-aged man were carried inside. Gao Fengshan, the head of the Gao Family, rushed over with a few confidants and personally examined them before sending someone to retrieve the Detoxification Pills.

"Eagle Guard." Gao Fengshan's eyes flashed with cold light as he asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Who poisoned you?"

The middle-aged man felt his strength gradually returning before he recounted everything that had happened at Peach Garden Inn. Finally, he said, "An Zhuang and the other three were also poisoned and are still there. Their fate is unknown."

"This scoundrel!" Gao Fengshan glared at his unconscious son, then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Are you sure they are outsiders?"

The middle-aged man said, "I can't be sure, but they are staying at Peach Garden Inn, so it's highly likely."

Gao Fengshan revealed a hint of killing intent as he looked at a burly man and said in a deep voice, "Anyone who dares poison my Gao family members must pay a heavy price. Fifth brother, take the Black and White Guards and go kill those two scoundrels for me."

"Understood!" Gao Fenglong replied without hesitation.

"Wait a moment." The middle-aged man quickly stopped him. "That old slave is at the Innate Triple Stage. Besides you, no one in the entire Gao family is his match."

Gao Fengshan's expression changed. He never imagined that an old slave would be an expert at the Innate Realm. What was the origin of that young man? To have an old slave at the Innate Realm following him, did he have a powerful background?

"I'll go take a look myself!" After a moment of thought, Gao Fengshan decided to go personally. Regardless of the young man's origin, four of his Gao family members who were poisoned had not yet been brought back. If this matter got out, the Gao family would lose all face.

Peach Garden Inn.

Ye Tong spent a long time burying the eight jade carvings he had brought around the pavilion. The dual formations he set up, utilizing the terrain of the Peach Garden, were perfectly integrated. Once a cultivator was trapped within, it would be extremely difficult to escape safely, even for an Innate expert.

Ye Tong felt a pang of heartache, as the eight jade carvings were something he had spent considerable effort carving. If the cultivators trapped within forcibly broke them, the eight jade carvings would also shatter.

However, if it could resolve the current trouble, he couldn't afford to worry about that.

"Young Master, two Silver Crystals." Not long after the Medicine Slave consumed a Qi Gathering Pill, he reached out to ask for Silver Crystals.

Ye Tong handed over two Silver Crystals without hesitation and said, "Cultivators at the Innate Realm consume elixirs and Silver Crystals this quickly? At your rate of consumption, the Silver Crystals we have will only last for another half a month at most."

The Medicine Slave said, "Within three days at most, this old slave will be able to break through to the Innate Fourth Level."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tong's heart leaped with joy. He kept only one Silver Crystal and stuffed the rest to the Medicine Slave, saying, "Use them with confidence. Although we don't have many Silver Crystals left, we have plenty of banknotes and silver notes. At worst, we can go buy another batch of Silver Crystals. If you need them, we can even buy Gold Crystals."

The Medicine Slave chuckled, "Silver Crystals are enough. Using Gold Crystals... is too extravagant."

Ye Tong laughed, "As long as I can become stronger, let alone Gold Crystals, even better treasures, I won't frown."

The Medicine Slave found that he increasingly liked the Young Master's current personality. Although he cared about money and wealth, when he felt it was necessary to spend and use them, he possessed a generosity unmatched by ordinary people. Furthermore, the Young Master's change in personality had also led to his ability to earn wealth being hundreds of thousands of times stronger than before.

Suddenly, the Medicine Slave's gaze shifted to the distance, and he said in a low voice, "They're here."