"Pfft..." With life and death on the line, Gao Fengshan was decisive enough. He instantly severed one of his own fingers. As blood streamed down, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Ye Tong, and he growled, "Are you satisfied now?"
Ye Tong said noncommittally, "Half satisfied. Next, let's settle the matter of compensation."
Gao Fengshan roared, "Young man, don't push your luck."
Ye Tong looked at him calmly and said nothing more.
When one stood beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head.
Filled with helplessness, Gao Fengshan ultimately lowered his head again and said bitterly, "Speak! What compensation do you want?"
Ye Tong smiled. "I'm a common man, so naturally I like gold and silver. Setting up this formation used eight of my Jade Carvings, each worth fifty thousand Blue Silver, for a total of four hundred thousand Blue Silver. One bottle of poison cost one hundred thousand Blue Silver. Oh, right, do you need Detoxification Pills? They're guaranteed to keep you alive, and they're very cheap—ten thousand Blue Silver apiece."
"These four fellows wasted four Detoxification Pills, ten thousand Blue Silver each, making forty thousand Blue Silver in total. They've been stored with me for so long, so you'll need to pay another twenty thousand Blue Silver in storage fees."
"Besides, matching wits and courage with you cost me quite a bit of mental energy. The emotional damages naturally can't be omitted. I'll calculate less for you—just twenty thousand. So, you only need to compensate me with six hundred and sixty thousand Blue Silver, and the grudges between us will be wiped clean in one stroke."
Six hundred and sixty thousand Blue Silver?
What a lion opening its maw!
Not only were Gao Fengshan and the other eight so furious that they jumped about like thunderstruck frogs, even the onlookers outside the fence sucked in cold breaths. Even Lan Xiaozhu, who disliked the Gao Family immensely, felt her heart ache for them after the shock.
But what the hell were storage fees? And what the hell were emotional damages? Everyone was utterly baffled by the names Ye Tong had come up with.
"I agree!" Gao Fengshan clenched his fists, calculating inwardly that once they escaped this predicament, he would immediately slaughter this damned little bastard before him.
Ye Tong rolled his eyes and said, "If you agree, then agree. What are you standing there for? Pay up."
Gao Fengshan snapped, "Do you think I carry that much money with me at all times?"
Ye Tong deliberately showed a surprised expression and asked, "Six hundred and sixty thousand Blue Silver is only sixty-six thousand Blue Gold. You, the dignified head of the Gao Family, think that little bit of money is too much? Are you kidding me?"
"Little bit of money?" Gao Fengshan laughed in extreme anger, wishing he could grind Ye Tong's bones to ash.
Ye Tong shook his head and sighed. "Fine. Seeing how your Gao Family is truly poor, I won't force you. As long as you're willing to sign an IOU for me later, I'll let you leave."
"Haha... Wouldn't letting them go like this be letting them off too easily?"
A hearty laugh came from the crowd. Jin Qiusheng, red-faced and glowing, squeezed out from the crowd with several guards and said, "Brother Ye Tong, you really made yourself hard to find! From yesterday until today, I nearly sent people to turn the entire county city upside down."
Ye Tong smiled. "Brother Jin, what did you need me for?"
Jin Qiusheng smiled. "Naturally, to prepare a feast at Piaoxiang Tower and fulfill the duties of a host! Besides, little brother, you saved our lives. This gratitude must be expressed somehow."
Ye Tong said, "Saving others was also saving myself. Brother Jin, there's no need to take it to heart."
Inside the formation, Gao Fengshan's expression froze, and an unbelievable feeling rose in his heart. He had never imagined that Jin Qiusheng, Second Master Jin, would appear at this moment. Even less had he imagined that Second Master Jin and Ye Tong shared a life-and-death friendship.
"Damn it..." Gao Fengshan dearly wanted to curse, but he was afraid.
His Gao Family could barely be counted as a third-rate Lineage in the county city, while the Jin Family ranked among the second-rate Lineages. Moreover, Jin Qiusheng's evil reputation was widely known. He was simply a complete bastard. Anyone who dared provoke him would undoubtedly suffer miserably.
Ye Tong turned to Gao Fengshan and said with a smile, "I was originally a kind man, but alas, I was forced to become a villain! Fine, spare others when you can. As long as he's willing to sign an IOU, the grudges will be wiped clean in one stroke. I won't settle old scores with them anymore."
"You're a kind man?!" Hearing Ye Tong's words, Gao Fengshan's mouth filled with bitterness, and he felt as miserable as if he had swallowed a fly.
Old scores!
Gao Fengshan had originally planned to slaughter this bastard the instant he stepped out of the formation. Who could have expected him to find someone to back him up—and someone Gao Fengshan could not afford to provoke? Gao Fengshan could only swallow his broken teeth along with his blood, suffering in silence.
"Kid, you're ruthless. I'll pay!" Gao Fengshan pulled a stack of gold notes from his robes, drew out notes worth sixty-six thousand Blue Gold, and said, "We're even."
"No!" Anger suddenly appeared on Ye Tong's face as he shouted.
"Hm? Why not?" Gao Fengshan looked stunned. Jin Qiusheng was also somewhat surprised, while the surrounding spectators were utterly confused.
Hadn't he just said their grudges could be wiped clean in one stroke? Was he going to go back on his word?
Ye Tong glared angrily at Gao Fengshan and shouted, "I hate liars most of all, especially liars who deceive me. You clearly had enough gold notes on you, yet you lied and said you didn't. Do you really think I'm easy to bully? I think you agreed with your mouth while planning to renege in your heart. Right now, I'm in a very bad mood. Add more money—increase my emotional damages."
"Can someone really be this shameless?" As soon as Ye Tong said this, everyone around him was rendered speechless. Even the Medicine Slave standing nearby could not help turning his face away, a flush spreading across his old face from shame.
Gao Fengshan gritted his teeth and asked word by word, "How much more do you want?"
Ye Tong thought for a moment and said, "Add one more tael."
"Just one tael?" Gao Fengshan's brows furrowed into three deep lines. Finding it somewhat acceptable, he immediately took out another tael of Blue Silver.
Ye Tong withdrew the formation. Only after the sixty-six thousand Blue Gold in notes and the extra tael of Blue Silver were placed in his hands did he look at Gao Fengshan and say, "Patriarch Gao, as the saying goes, it is better to resolve enmity than knot it. But if you still wish to send me gold and silver in the future, I certainly won't mind accepting it. After you return, I hope you properly educate that precious son of yours. Tell him to stir up more trouble in the future and bring more calamity upon your Gao Family."
"Thank you for the advice..." Gao Fengshan did not look at Ye Tong again. He cupped his fists toward Jin Qiusheng, then led the Gao Family members away in a bedraggled retreat.
Ye Tong stuffed the gold notes into the Medicine Slave's hands, then showed Jin Qiusheng a bashful expression. "I've made a fool of myself before Brother Jin. It can't be helped. Poor people like me want to seize every opportunity to earn a living."
"You're poor?"
Jin Qiusheng nearly burst out laughing. After that Small Beast Tide alone, Ye Tong had obtained several hundred thousand Blue Silver, hadn't he? Furthermore, Jin Qiusheng had sent people to investigate and learned that Ye Tong had previously sold pills here. His earnings from that had likely been considerable as well.
"By the way, do you still have pills for sale?" Jin Qiusheng asked.
Ye Tong smiled. "A few."
Jin Qiusheng waved a hand grandly. "How much altogether? I'll take all of them."
Seeing Jin Qiusheng's appearance of immense wealth and extravagance, Ye Tong could not help laughing and crying. After counting the remaining pills, he said, "I'll give you a discount. Just give me four hundred thousand Blue Silver."
"Good!" Jin Qiusheng discovered that the price Ye Tong offered was nearly half that of the pills sold in shops. His favorable impression of Ye Tong immediately deepened, and he readily took out four gold notes worth ten thousand Blue Gold each and handed them to Ye Tong.
Then Jin Qiusheng took out an invitation card and solemnly handed it to Ye Tong. "Tomorrow night, I'll host a banquet at Piaoxiang Tower. I hope Brother Ye Tong will honor me with his presence."
"Alright!" Ye Tong nodded and accepted.
If not for what had happened today, he might not have accepted the invitation. But Jin Qiusheng's arrival had changed Gao Fengshan's attitude and spared Ye Tong trouble. He had indirectly accepted a favor, and refusing again would make him seem unable to appreciate kindness.
Seeing Ye Tong agree so readily, Jin Qiusheng's satisfaction rose greatly. He looked around, noticed that the crowd was gradually dispersing, then leaned close to Ye Tong and asked in a low voice, "There's something I wonder whether Brother Ye Tong has heard."
Ye Tong asked, "What is it?"
Jin Qiusheng said, "Over the past few days, quite a few important figures from the Imperial Capital have arrived in the county city. I heard that even the Princess will come. The County Prince secured for the Sky Net Empire the qualification to construct a Teleportation Array. His Majesty was overjoyed, and he intends to reward the County Prince handsomely!"
A Teleportation Array? A surprised expression appeared on Ye Tong's face.
He had heard of Teleportation Arrays and had even been curious about them before, but he had not expected the Sky Net Empire to be able to construct one in the near future. With a Teleportation Array, cultivators of the Sky Net Empire would find it much easier to travel to other nations.
Ye Tong said, "I hadn't heard."
Jin Qiusheng smiled. "I'm already thinking of a way to obtain invitations to the grand banquet at the County Prince's residence. If I manage to get them, I'll take you along to broaden your horizons."
Ye Tong laughed. "Brother Jin, I'm not interested in that. But if you truly want an invitation, I might be able to get one for you."
"You?" Jin Qiusheng revealed a strange expression, then laughed helplessly. "Brother Ye Tong, it isn't that I look down on you, but do you really think the County Prince's residence is your own backyard? You think you can get one whenever you say so? In the entire county city—even the whole of Zifu County—those qualified to attend the banquet can be counted on one hand."
"Don't you disbelieve me." Ye Tong said irritably, "As the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way."
Jin Qiusheng still did not believe him. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, "Fine. If you can get one, consider that your old brother owes you another favor. I'm leaving now. Remember, tomorrow night at Piaoxiang Tower."
"Alright!" Ye Tong nodded lightly.
Tian-character Pavilion, Room 109.
Within the exquisitely carved pavilion, the antique room on the second floor was filled with the rich fragrance of ink and paper. The elegant and refined Lan Tianyu was quietly studying the painting she had just completed.
"Miss, Miss..."
Lan Xiaozhu suddenly rushed in from outside like a gust of wind. Her face filled with excitement as she said, "The Gao Family really did go cause trouble for Ye Tong! Haha... Today's show was even more exciting than yesterday's."
Lan Tianyu turned around in surprise. "More exciting? What happened?"
Lan Xiaozhu nodded heavily, her face full of excitement. "It's a pity you didn't go watch, Miss, or you would definitely have clapped and cheered as well! That Ye Tong is simply... simply a complete oddball. I nearly died laughing today."
Lan Tianyu asked, "Who is Ye Tong?"
Lan Xiaozhu said, "He's the youth I told you about before!"
Lan Tianyu suddenly understood, and her interest was piqued. Smiling, she said, "Then tell me. What exactly happened today?"
"Mhm, mhm!" Lan Xiaozhu began recounting it vividly.
Before you continue