Caged Beast

The midday sun was warm and gentle.

Ye Tong sat inside his stall, quietly observing the eight people who had arrived before him. They looked unremarkable, but the fine silks and satins they wore indicated they were either wealthy or noble. The middle-aged man leading them exuded an aura of authority, the kind cultivated by those who held high positions for extended periods.

"First the whelps, now the old man," the Medicine Slave said with disdain, crouching beside Ye Tong and cradling the Dragon Head Cane in his arms.

Ye Tong turned his head and smiled, "Reincarnation is a skill. I've heard of a place where every mentor tells children, 'Everyone is equal, don't lose at the starting line.' But adults all know there's no such thing as equality in this world. The so-called starting line is just when children are the same age; the postnatal resources they receive are worlds apart."

The Medicine Slave curled his lips and said, "No matter how many postnatal resources one receives, if they have no one to raise or teach them, they'll be a menace when they grow up."

"Makes sense," Ye Tong gave him a thumbs-up.

"You lot, tired of living?" Gao Fengshan's killing intent surged as he looked at the two people bantering back and forth. How long had it been since someone dared to be so arrogant in front of him? Even the influential figures in the prefectural city showed him some respect.

Ye Tong observed Gao Fengshan's face, noting his dark complexion, sunken forehead, red veins on his nose, and a faintly darkened "Palace of Fortune." This clearly indicated an impending calamity of blood light and recent financial loss. Ye Tong mused, "And you are?"

"How dare you!" a burly, dark-skinned man behind Gao Fengshan shouted sternly. "You scoundrel, this is our Gao Family Patriarch. Speak another word of nonsense, and we'll kill you on the spot."

"So what if it's the Gao Family? So what if he's the Patriarch?" Ye Tong asked. "Does your Gao Family treat human lives as mere grass? Killing people so readily?"

Gao Fengshan said indifferently, "They are just ants; their lives are worthless."

Ye Tong shook his head and sighed, "Truly, the rotten beam supports the crooked house. Like father, like son! Do you fear that your actions will one day provoke someone you cannot afford to offend, bringing disaster upon your entire Gao Family?"

Gao Fengshan's eye twitched, and he asked menacingly, "Are you the existence that our Gao Family cannot afford to offend?"

Ye Tong replied, "I can't guarantee I am now, nor can I guarantee I'll be alive after today. But if you push me too far, I can guarantee that your Gao Family will end up ruined."

"Hm?" Gao Fengshan, always cautious, realized the young man before him likely had an unusual background. However, he could still get some interest for now. He waved his hand, "Teach him a lesson so he knows that the Gao Family's authority cannot be challenged."

"Wait," Ye Tong pointed to the four unconscious individuals nearby and asked, "Don't you care about their lives at all?"

Gao Fengshan glanced at them and then sneered, "Our Gao Family has no one who fears death. If they truly die here, I will naturally arrange for their funerals."

Ye Tong shook his head, sighing, "As ruthless as ever."

Gao Fengshan said nothing further, but with a wave of his arm, the four behind him lunged at Ye Tong. However, the Medicine Slave was faster. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Ye Tong, his Dragon Head Cane transforming into streaks of afterimages, forcing back all four attackers.

The Medicine Slave sneered, "Unless you make a move yourself, they won't be able to do anything to my Young Master."

Gao Fengshan frowned and shouted, "All of you, attack!"

Immediately, the other three also lunged at the Medicine Slave.

While they were fighting, Ye Tong nimbly wrapped all the jade bottles with the tablecloth, then turned and retreated into the courtyard. Half an hour later, the Medicine Slave also gradually retreated into the courtyard under the combined assault of the seven.

Gao Fengshan did not attack. His gaze bypassed the chaotic fight and landed directly on Ye Tong, who was smiling inside. He said coldly, "Although my men cannot kill your old servant for now, they have lost the ability to protect you. If I were to act now, I could probably kill you with ease."

Ye Tong sneered, "Try me?"

As he spoke, the Medicine Slave, who was being surrounded, suddenly surged with power. His Dragon Head Cane smashed a white-faced man at the Houtian Eighth Level, and he instantly broke through the gap, charging to Ye Tong's side in the blink of an eye.

"Dong..." Ye Tong stomped on the ground, and with a muffled sound, patterns imperceptible to the naked eye were activated, and a transparent light barrier instantly enveloped Gao Fengshan and the others.

"Come on! Try to kill me?" Ye Tong stood outside the light barrier, beckoning to Gao Fengshan inside.

Gao Fengshan's expression changed drastically. His panicked gaze swept around, and a chill grew in his heart. He never dreamed that a formation had been set up here in advance, clearly waiting for them to walk into a trap.

It's over! A cultivator capable of setting up formations must be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Could there be a Foundation Establishment stage expert hidden nearby? If so, it would be completely unnecessary, as any Foundation Establishment stage expert could kill them all.

Ye Tong was unaware of Gao Fengshan's thoughts. Seeing his contorted expression, he grinned, "He who insults others will be insulted by others; he who kills others will be killed by others. Before you intended to kill, you should have been prepared to be killed, right? Come, come, break this formation with all your might, and let me see if your skills are enough to break the formation I set up."

"Impossible!" Gao Fengshan exclaimed. "With your Qi Refining Fourth Level cultivation, how could you possibly set up a formation? Everyone in the cultivation world knows that to set up a formation, one's cultivation must reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Frog in a well," Ye Tong said disdainfully. "There are no absolutes in this world. Don't you even understand this simple principle?"

Gao Fengshan took a deep breath, instantly drew his long sword, and flashed forward. A sword light fiercely struck the transparent light barrier. Ripples spread across it, and then the barrier returned to its calm state.

"Failed?" However, instead of showing disappointment, a hint of surprise appeared in Gao Fengshan's eyes. Because he could shake the formation, even if he couldn't break it for now, given enough time, he could tear open a gap and eventually escape.

Ye Tong smiled, "I forgot to mention, this is just a containment formation, it has no offensive power. However, I've only activated half of it; the illusion formation is yet to be activated. Perhaps with your mental fortitude, you can barely avoid being affected by the illusions, but these people you brought... tsk tsk, I'm really curious to see if their mental fortitude is strong enough."

Gao Fengshan secretly pondered, "There shouldn't be any Foundation Establishment stage experts here."

"Otherwise, there would be no need for a formation; a single Foundation Establishment stage expert could kill all of us."

"This being the case, this formation must have been set up by this young man. I just don't know what method he used!"

With these thoughts, Gao Fengshan regained his confidence and sneered, "If you dare, the moment this formation is broken will be your death day."

Ye Tong took out a jade bottle and asked with a half-smile, "Do you think you still have time to break this formation? In my eyes, you are like fish in a jar, beasts in a cage. If I just sprinkle some poison, even if you were all Foundation Establishment stage experts, you'd likely be poisoned to death."

"What?" Gao Fengshan's heart instantly sank into an ice cave.

Ye Tong sneered, "Actually, I have many other ways to kill you, but I'm too lazy to waste brainpower calculating them."

By now, many people had gathered outside the small courtyard, some having witnessed the entire event. Even Lan Xiaozhu was among the crowd, her delicate brow furrowed in astonishment.

A formation? This young man actually trapped the Gao Family Patriarch and their experts with a formation?

Fish in a jar?

Beasts in a cage?

A single dose of poison could kill them all?

Everyone was amazed that a Qi Refining Fourth Level youth could set up a formation, but they were even more shocked by his terrifying capabilities. At the same time, it made them realize something: sometimes, when facing enemies ten or even a hundred times stronger than oneself, it's not always necessary to possess overwhelming martial power. Certain special methods could still achieve the effect of killing enemies.

Gao Fengshan's face went from green to white. For a moment, he didn't dare to act rashly. The Gao Family experts by his side felt utterly stifled, wishing they could slice Ye Tong into a thousand pieces to quickly end it.

This was a disgrace, a disgrace to the Gao Family!

They all understood that what happened today would inevitably spread, causing a huge stir throughout the entire county city. Once that happened, the Gao Family's reputation would be completely ruined.

"Kid," Gao Fengshan gritted out, "What do you want?"

Ye Tong calmly said, "Cut off a finger yourself and compensate me for my losses."

Gao Fengshan roared, "You're dreaming!"

Ye Tong smiled, reached out, and uncorked the jade bottle, sighing, "Whenever I'm short on money, someone always sends charcoal in the snow. Today, I should be able to sell eight more Detoxification Pills."

Gao Fengshan's expression changed drastically, and the others also showed fear, retreating two steps.

Ye Tong chuckled, "You've heard of Meng Luo's toxicity, right? It's said to be a threat even to Foundation Establishment stage experts. I wonder if you can withstand its poison?"

Meng Luo? Hearing this, Gao Fengshan's legs immediately trembled. How could he not have heard of such a potent poison?

"I agree!" As the saying goes, a wise man knows when to yield. Gao Fengshan, having lived for so many years, naturally understood the principle that the situation dictates one's actions.

"What?" Ye Tong pretended not to hear, waving his hand forward as if fanning the escaping poisonous gas into the formation.

"Hold your breath," Gao Fengshan roared, his eyes red as he glared at Ye Tong and shouted, "I said, I agree."

Whoosh... The crowd watching from outside the fence suddenly erupted in a clamor. They hadn't expected the Gao Family Patriarch to surrender so quickly to the young man's threat.

Ye Tong gave a thumbs-up, praising, "As the saying goes: He who understands the times is a wise man. No wonder you could become the Gao Family Patriarch; other good-for-nothings can't. What a pity! I didn't quite catch what you said just now. The poisonous gas should have already drifted in."

"You..." Gao Fengshan's pent-up hatred had nowhere to go, and he was so stifled he almost wanted to smash into a wall.

Ye Tong's expression turned cold, and he snorted, "Since you've already agreed, why are you still standing there? If there's no blood, how can today's matter be concluded?"