Trouble

Li Zhi held the warm bear gallbladder, urging, "Little Yuan, hurry! Eat it while it's still hot; this thing is a massive tonic!"

Li Yuan looked at the dark brown gallbladder, which reeked with a pungent, fishy odor. He hesitated, and his stomach immediately churned.

He had never even eaten sashimi, let alone something like this.

Just as Li Yuan was struggling internally, a voice suddenly rang out from the woods behind them:

"Hold it right there. Put that bear gallbladder down."

All three were startled and whipped their heads around.

A young man dressed in a silk coat with a short blade at his waist and an arrogant expression stepped out.

Behind him followed two servants in identical attire, each bearing a large "Zhou" character embroidered on the upper right corner of their garments.

The man was named Zhou Wu, a collateral descendant of the Zhou Family, one of the four great families in the county. He was known for throwing his weight around by relying on the Zhou Family's influence.

Not long ago, he had accidentally caused the death of a maid and was sent out to lie low for a while.

Zhou Wu had heard the commotion when the black bear roared and had been lurking in the back, secretly observing.

He had even mocked Li Yuan in his heart when he saw him foolishly trying to provoke the beast.

Zhou Wu had intended to wait until these hunters killed the black bear before appearing to intimidate them with the Zhou Family name.

That way, he could claim this valuable black bear without any effort, offering them a pittance as "compensation" at most.

He never expected that Li Yuan and his companions would attempt to swallow the most precious bear gallbladder on the spot. How could he tolerate that?

That was why he had jumped out in such a rush.

Zhou Wu stared fixedly at Li Yuan, completely ignoring the other two.

"Everything in these mountains, when it comes down to it, belongs to our Zhou Family."

"Hunting in these woods without the Zhou Family's permission is a grave crime! However, considering you put in the effort, hand over the bear, and our Zhou Family will grant you some compensation."

"This black bear, and this bear gallbladder, are both property of the Zhou Family."

In just a few words, Zhou Wu had claimed everything Li Yuan had risked his life to obtain as his own.

He acted as if it were only natural.

Li Zhi and Chen Quan turned pale the moment they heard it was someone from the Zhou Family.

The four great families of the county were, quite simply, the local tyrants of Wuxi County.

How could commoners like them afford to offend such people?

Li Zhi and his companion's lips trembled; they wanted to say something but dared not speak.

Li Yuan frowned, his grip tightening on the bear gallbladder.

What unauthorized hunting? What compensation? This was clearly daylight robbery!

"Brother Zhou," Li Yuan suppressed the anger rising in his heart, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. "We killed this bear with our own lives on the line. According to the rules, this is the outer perimeter of the forest, and it doesn't seem to belong to..."

Given Li Yuan's current strength, he did not want to offend these great families just yet.

But he also couldn't bring himself to hand over something he had worked so hard for to a complete stranger.

Unless this person were far stronger than him—someone capable of killing him in a single blow.

But Li Yuan knew clearly that if this Zhou Wu were truly powerful, he would have appeared long ago.

He wouldn't have waited until he was about to eat the gallbladder to jump out in such a panic.

Looking at his unsteady gait, he was likely someone who possessed some martial arts training but was hollowed out by wine and women.

"Rules?" Zhou Wu found it somewhat amusing. He exchanged a laugh with the two men beside him and interrupted, "This brother, it seems you still don't understand."

"Aren't the rules here whatever we decide they are?"

"In this territory, we, the Zhou Family, are the rules!"

His gaze fixed greedily on the gallbladder in Li Yuan's hand as he added:

"Especially that thing—you eating it would be a complete waste of a treasure. Hand it over, quickly!"

If he consumed this bear gallbladder, his own blood energy would surely rise to the next level.

When he returned to the family, who would dare say he was idle and not working hard at his cultivation?

As time passed, the temperature began to drop.

The bear gallbladder, which had been steaming when first extracted, was gradually cooling down.

The fresher the gallbladder, the more potent the tonic; the longer it sat, the more its effects would diminish.

With that, Zhou Wu actually stepped forward several times, reaching out to snatch the gallbladder from Li Yuan's hand.

He wasn't afraid of Li Yuan resisting at all. A lowly hunter who wasn't even as good as a farmer—even if he were in the Ox Skin Realm, he was nothing more than a man with a bit of brute strength.

Within the Zhou Family, they were no different from a slightly sturdier dog.

Daring to touch Zhou Wu? That was simply courting death!

Seeing Zhou Wu's hand about to make contact with the bear gallbladder, a cold glint flashed in Li Yuan's eyes.

This was the trophy he had risked his life and worked so hard to obtain.

He would rather feed it to a dog than give it to people like them.

Bullying others with their status, and to be so insulting on top of that!

In an instant, Li Yuan made his decision.

Before Zhou Wu's hand could touch it, he shoved the bear gallbladder into his mouth!

The moment the gallbladder entered his mouth, an indescribably fishy and bitter taste exploded, rushing straight to his brain and making him almost vomit.

But he forced down the nausea, tilted his neck back, and swallowed the slick, slimy gallbladder whole.

"You... you are seeking death!" Zhou Wu's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes stunned as he watched Li Yuan swallow the gallbladder.

Zhou Wu's expression went from stunned to enraged; his hand trembled in the air, his face twisted with fury.

He had already planned exactly how he would use the bear gallbladder once he obtained it.

He never imagined that this lowly hunter would dare to defy his orders and actually eat the most precious part!

"Good! Very good, you unruly peasant! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!" Zhou Wu shook with rage, pointing at Li Yuan's nose as he cursed.

"Daring to touch the Zhou Family's property—you are finished, your entire family is finished!

I will make you know the consequences of offending the Zhou Family, and you two as well." He pointed at Li Zhi and Chen Quan, who were already pale with fright, "None of you are getting away!"

Once the bear gallbladder hit his stomach, he initially felt only a cold, slick sensation sinking into his gut.

But after only a few breaths, a scorching hot current surged up from his abdomen, like a raging fire, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

"Boom!"

Li Yuan felt his blood and qi surging; this was no longer just a great tonic, it was far too potent.

Zhou Wu was still there cursing, repeating his threats over and over.

I really want to kill this beast, he is truly grating on my nerves... Li Yuan felt a wave of irritation.

The surging blood and the killing intent in his heart intertwined, whispering and stimulating Li Yuan's brain.

He couldn't leave them! These people absolutely could not be left alive!

They had seen the entire process; if they were allowed to return, Uncle and Chen Quan would also be implicated!

"You motherfucker, you ate my..." Zhou Wu was still clamoring, sounding like a shrew in a street fight.

Suddenly, he saw Li Yuan's eyes, and a chill rose from his heart.

Zhou Wu retreated decisively, trying to draw his blade, but it was already too late.

Li Yuan kicked off the ground, sending snow exploding into the air, his speed astonishingly fast.

The blood and qi were a massive supplement; even with his skills helping him digest it, it was impossible to finish the process immediately.

Li Yuan needed to release that energy, and it was the perfect moment to unleash his Bear Form Fist; this pounce was filled with raw power.

Zhou Wu didn't even have time to fully draw his waist blade before Li Yuan's heavy, bear-paw-like palm slammed toward his face, carrying the force of the wind!