Beast Trapped in a Cage

The noon sunlight was warm and gentle.

Ye Tong sat within the stall, quietly watching the eight people who had come before him. They looked plain enough, but their silks and brocades showed that they were either wealthy or noble. Especially the middle-aged man at the front—he exuded an imposing air that could only be cultivated by someone long seated in a high position.

"Beat the little one, and the old one comes running." Disdain hung on Medicine Slave's aged face as he crouched beside Ye Tong, the Dragon Head Cane cradled in his arms.

Ye Tong turned his head and smiled. "Being reincarnated is a technical skill. I heard that in one place, every enlightenment teacher tells children, 'Everyone is equal; don't lose at the starting line.' Yet all adults understand that where is there any equality in this world? The so-called starting line merely means children are the same age. The resources they obtain after birth, however, can differ as vastly as heaven and earth."

Medicine Slave curled his lip. "No matter how many resources one receives after birth, if someone raises them but no one teaches them, they will still become a scourge when they grow up."

"That makes sense." Ye Tong raised a thumbs-up.

"Are you tired of living?" Gao Fengshan watched the two of them trade remarks back and forth, killing intent surging in his heart. How long had it been since anyone dared act so arrogant and overbearing before him? Even the great figures in the prefectural city gave him some measure of face.

Ye Tong studied his features and found his complexion dull, his forehead sunken, crimson veins surfacing over the bridge of his nose, and even his Fortune and Virtue Palace faintly darkened. This was clearly the face of impending bloodshed and imminent financial loss. Ye Tong pondered for a moment before asking, "And you are?"

"Impudent!" A burly, dark-skinned man behind Gao Fengshan shouted sharply, "You bastard, this is the head of our Gao Family. Say one more word of nonsense, and we'll cut you down where you stand."

"And what if it is the Gao Family? What if he is the family head?" Ye Tong asked. "Does your Gao Family treat human lives like blades of grass? Do you kill at the drop of a hat?"

Gao Fengshan said blandly, "They are merely ants. Their lives are worthless."

Ye Tong shook his head and sighed. "The beam above is crooked, so the beam below is crooked too. Like father, like son! With conduct like yours, aren't you afraid that one day you'll provoke someone you cannot afford to provoke and bring extermination upon the Gao Family?"

The corner of Gao Fengshan's eye twitched as he asked sinisterly, "Are you someone my Gao Family cannot afford to provoke?"

Ye Tong said, "I cannot guarantee that I am right now, nor can I guarantee whether I will still be alive after today. But if your Gao Family truly drives me into a corner, I can guarantee that you will end up with your family destroyed and your people dead."

"Hm?" Gao Fengshan had always been cautious. He realized that the youth before him was likely far from simple. Still, it was fine to spare his dog life for now and collect some interest first. He waved his hand. "Teach him a lesson. Let him know that the majesty of my Gao Family cannot be violated."

"Wait." Ye Tong pointed at the four unconscious men nearby and asked, "Do you truly not care whether they live or die?"

Gao Fengshan glanced at them, then sneered. "My Gao Family has no cowards who fear death. If they truly die here, I will naturally send people to arrange their funerals."

Ye Tong shook his head and remarked, "Truly ruthless and merciless."

Gao Fengshan said nothing more, but with a sweep of his arm, the four men behind him instantly lunged at Ye Tong. Medicine Slave, however, was faster. In nearly the blink of an eye, he blocked their path before Ye Tong. The Dragon Head Cane in his hand became a series of afterimages, Repelling all four charging men.

Medicine Slave sneered. "Unless you act personally, they cannot do anything to my young master."

Gao Fengshan furrowed his brow and shouted sternly, "All of you, attack together."

At once, the other three men also rushed toward Medicine Slave.

While they fought, Ye Tong swiftly wrapped all the jade bottles in the tablecloth, then turned and retreated into the courtyard. Half a quarter-hour later, Medicine Slave too gradually retreated into the courtyard under the combined attacks of the seven men.

Gao Fengshan did not make a move. His gaze passed over the battlefield and landed directly on Ye Tong, who stood inside with a smile on his face. He said coldly, "My men may not be able to kill your old servant for now, but he has also lost the ability to protect you. If I act now, I fear I can easily cut you down."

Ye Tong laughed mockingly. "Why don't you try?"

As soon as he spoke, Medicine Slave, who had been surrounded and attacked, suddenly erupted with surging aura. His Dragon Head Cane sent a pale-faced man at the Eighth Level of the Acquired Realm flying, and his body instantly shot through that opening. In almost the blink of an eye, he dashed to Ye Tong's side.

Boom... Ye Tong stamped the ground. Amid the dull sound, patterns too faint for the naked eye to catch activated, and a transparent barrier instantly enveloped Gao Fengshan and the others.

"Come on! Try killing me?" Ye Tong stood outside the barrier and crooked a finger at Gao Fengshan within.

Gao Fengshan's expression changed drastically. His panicked gaze swept over the surroundings as a chill grew in his heart. He had never dreamed that an array had been set up here in advance, clearly waiting for them to walk straight into the trap.

It was over! A cultivator capable of setting up an array was at the very least a foundation establishment stage expert.

Could there be a foundation establishment stage expert hidden nearby? If there was, this was simply superfluous, because any foundation establishment stage expert could slaughter every one of them with ease.

Ye Tong did not know Gao Fengshan's thoughts. Seeing his utterly transformed expression, he immediately grinned. "Those who insult others will in turn be insulted; those who kill will in turn be killed. Before you thought of killing, you should have prepared yourselves to be killed, shouldn't you? Come, come, give it everything you have and break the array. Let me see what you're capable of and whether you can break open the array I set up."

"Impossible!" Gao Fengshan blurted out. "You are only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level. How could you possibly set up an array? Everyone in the cultivation world knows that to set up an array, one's cultivation must break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"A frog at the bottom of a well." Ye Tong said disdainfully, "Nothing in this world is absolute. Do you not even understand such a simple truth?"

Gao Fengshan took a deep breath and instantly drew his longsword. With a flash of his body, a streak of sword light slashed fiercely against the transparent barrier. Ripples spread out, then the barrier returned to calm.

"Failed?" Yet Gao Fengshan did not show disappointment. Instead, a trace of delight appeared in his eyes, because if he could shake the array, then even if he could not break it for the moment, given enough time, he could tear open a gap and ultimately escape.

Ye Tong smiled. "I forgot to mention that this is only a trapping array. It has no real killing power. However, I have activated only half of it. The illusion array has not yet been activated. With your mental fortitude, perhaps you can barely avoid being affected by the illusions, but these people you brought... tsk, tsk. I truly want to see whether their minds are firm enough."

Gao Fengshan secretly pondered, There should be no foundation establishment stage expert here.

Otherwise, there would be no need for an array at all. A single foundation establishment stage expert could kill all of us.

In that case, this array should have been set up by this youth. I just don't know what method he used!

After Gao Fengshan thought this through, confidence returned to his heart. He sneered, "If you dare, the moment this array is Broken open will be the day you die."

Ye Tong took out a jade bottle and asked with a half-smile, "Do you think you still have time to break open this array? In my eyes, you are turtles in a jar, beasts trapped in a cage. All I need is to scatter a handful of poison inside. Even if all of you were Foundation Establishment stage experts, I fear you would still be poisoned alive."

"What?" Gao Fengshan's heart instantly plunged into an icy abyss.

Ye Tong sneered. "Actually, I have quite a few ways to kill you. I am merely too lazy to waste my brainpower calculating you."

By now, quite a few people had gathered outside the small courtyard. Some had even watched the entire course of events. Lan Xiaozhu was mixed among the crowd as well, astonishment written across her pretty face.

An array? This youth had actually used an array to trap the head of the Gao Family and the Gao Family experts?

Turtles in a jar?

Beasts trapped in a cage?

A handful of poison could poison all of them alive?

The crowd was astonished that a youth at the Qi Refining Fourth Level could set up an array, but they were even more shaken by such terrifying capability. At the same time, they realized something: when facing enemies ten or a hundred times stronger than oneself, one did not necessarily need overwhelming martial strength. Certain special methods could still achieve the effect of killing enemies.

Gao Fengshan's face alternated between green and white. For a time, he actually did not dare act rashly. The Gao Family experts around him felt so stifled that they wished they could subject Ye Tong to thousand cuts and get rid of him as quickly as possible.

This was humiliation—the humiliation of the Gao Family!

They all understood that what happened today would inevitably spread, becoming the talk of the entire prefectural city. When that happened, the Gao Family's reputation would be utterly lost.

"Kid." Gao Fengshan gritted his teeth and asked, "What do you want?"

Ye Tong said calmly, "Sever one finger yourself and compensate me for my losses."

Gao Fengshan roared, "In your dreams!"

A smile appeared on Ye Tong's face. He reached out and pulled the stopper from the jade bottle, sighing, "Whenever I am short of money, someone always sends charcoal in the snow. Today, I should be able to sell eight more Detoxification Pills."

Gao Fengshan's expression changed greatly, and the others revealed fearful looks as well, each retreating two steps.

Ye Tong smiled. "You have heard of Meng Luo's toxicity, haven't you? It seems to threaten even Foundation Establishment stage experts. I wonder whether you can withstand its poison?"

Meng Luo? Gao Fengshan's legs immediately trembled when he heard the name. How could he not have heard of this vicious poison?

"I agree!" As the saying went, a good man did not suffer immediate losses. Having lived to such an age, Gao Fengshan naturally understood that circumstances were stronger than men.

"What?" Ye Tong pretended not to hear. His hand waved forward as if fanning all the drifting poisonous gas into the array.

"Hold your breath!" Gao Fengshan roared. His eyes bloodshot, he glared at Ye Tong and shouted, "I said, I agree."

A commotion immediately erupted among the crowd watching beyond the fence. They had not expected the Gao Family head to yield so quickly under that youth's threat.

Ye Tong raised a thumbs-up and praised, "As the saying goes, those who understand the times are heroes. No wonder you could become the head of the Gao Family while those other trash could not. What a pity! I did not hear what you said clearly just now, so the poisonous gas should already have drifted inside."

"You..." Gao Fengshan's heart was filled with hatred with nowhere to vent it. He was so stifled that he nearly wanted to smash his head against a wall.

A cold look appeared on Ye Tong's face as he snorted. "Since you have agreed, what are you still standing there for? If no blood is spilled, how can today's matter come to an end?"