Xiao Family Provocation

Zhang Yang first greeted Ling Yunzi, then went to find Danchენzi. "Third Uncle-Master, give me all the pills you've successfully refined."

Danchენzi was somewhat stunned. "I only refined a batch of low-grade pills. None of them are useful to you at the moment. I haven't refined any slightly better pills in a long time—I was planning to reopen the furnace once I got familiar with it again!"

Zhang Yang smiled. "They're not for us. This trip to Anqing City, I'm planning to sell some there and buy medicinal herbs to bring back."

The moment Danchენzi heard they were buying medicinal herbs, he handed all the pills he had refined to Zhang Yang without another word.

After all, Zhang Yang was carrying out some kind of reform and exercising the duties of acting School Leader. These pills were meant to be handed over to him anyway.

After putting away bottle after bottle of pills, Zhang Yang turned and went to find Fifth Uncle Hualingzi. "Uncle-Master, have those Talismans been drawn? Give me all the finished ones. I'll sell them and buy you some new talisman paper."

Hualingzi took out a stack of Talismans pulsing with spiritual energy and handed them to Zhang Yang, reminding him, "You must buy me better talisman paper. This paper simply can't bear my power. Oh, and get me good cinnabar too. If possible, bring back some high-level Monster Beast blood... If you can get some dragon and phoenix blood, we'll strike it rich!"

He was not polite with Zhang Yang in the slightest, making one demand after another.

Zhang Yang rolled his eyes and ignored him completely.

Good talisman paper was already asking too much, and he still wanted high-level Monster Beast Spirit Blood? As for dragon and phoenix blood, he might as well have been farting.

After storing the pills and Talismans away, Zhang Yang did not go looking for Sixth Uncle again.

Consumables like pills and Talismans could be made as long as they had the raw materials.

Refining artifacts, however, was not so simple.

Especially now that Azure Cloud Sect had more than eighty additional people. In the future, every one of them would inevitably need to be granted sect artifacts, and the shortage was still enormous!

After packing away the pills and Talismans, Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi flew toward Anqing City.

Anqing City was a major city on the borderlands of the Cloud Mountain Empire. It had a permanent population of over a million, and commerce flourished there.

Several years ago, Azure Cloud Master had brought Zhang Yang to Anqing City once. That was also Zhang Yang's only visit to the city.

Given the temperament of Azure Cloud Master and the others, along with Azure Cloud Sect's financial strength, they would basically never go to Anqing City unless something important had happened.

Half a day later, Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi entered Anqing City. After making some inquiries and learning the location of the Xiao Family, they went straight to its door.

"Go notify your family head. Azure Cloud Sect is here to visit!" Zhang Yang told the gatekeeper.

The instant the gatekeeper heard the words Azure Cloud, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly shouted, "Azure Cloud people are here!"

Hmm?

This sudden development left both Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi bewildered. What was the Xiao Family trying to do?

In an instant, several figures darted out from within the Xiao Family estate.

The elderly man in brocade robes at the front shouted fiercely, "I am Xiao Jianchun, head of the Xiao Family! Who are you people, daring to run wild at my Xiao Family?"

Zhang Yang looked at Xiao Jian, who had appeared afterward, and asked with a smile, "He didn't tell you?"

Xiao Jian pointed at Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi. "Family Head, they were the ones who claimed to be from Azure Cloud Sect and stole our copper mine."

Xiao Jianchun flew into a rage. "Who exactly are you people, daring to impersonate Azure Cloud Sect?"

Ling Yunzi frowned. "We're impersonating them?"

Xiao Jianchun sneered. "Everyone knows Azure Cloud Sect has sealed off its mountain. There are no sect members walking below the mountain at all. You suddenly claim to be disciples of Azure Cloud Sect—what proof do you have?"

Ling Yunzi froze.

He had never imagined that one day, he would need to prove that he belonged to Azure Cloud Sect.

But then he thought of the Sect Master Token on Zhang Yang and said, "Show them the token on you."

Zhang Yang did not listen to Ling Yunzi. He stared at Xiao Jianchun and asked slowly, "The Xiao Family doesn't intend to discuss this properly? When I told the Xiao Family to pass along a message, you didn't take a single word of it to heart?"

He would not fall into the trap of proving himself. No matter what token he produced, it would be useless if they refused to acknowledge it.

And judging from the Xiao Family's stance, they had already made their intentions clear.

Xiao Jianchun said coldly, "You stole the Xiao Family's copper mine and should compensate us for our losses. Yet you still dare come to our door—do you really think the Xiao Family is made of soft clay?"

"I understand." Zhang Yang nodded. "Then what does the Xiao Family intend to do?"

"Return our copper mine. That was several hundred thousand jin of copper ore in total. If you refuse to return it, bear the consequences yourselves. You must also compensate us for the losses from this period of suspended production, and the two of you must publicly admit your wrongdoing!" Xiao Jianchun pointed at Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi as he shouted.

Zhang Yang was somewhat shocked. This man truly had a knack for pinning blame on others!

He asked, "And if we refuse to compensate you?"

"If you don't compensate us, you probably won't be leaving!"

Xiao Jianchun raised a hand, and a whisk artifact appeared in it. As spiritual energy poured into the whisk, its threads drifted and stirred the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

He pointed at Zhang Yang and shouted, "Will you compensate us or not?"

"So all you wanted was a fight? You should've said so earlier!" Zhang Yang clapped his hands. He took out a stack of Talismans from his Spatial Ring, drew one out, and activated it with spiritual energy. At once, a fireball the size of a washbasin flew toward Xiao Jianchun.

Xiao Jianchun burst into laughter and casually swept out his whisk. "A firefly's glow dares to shine like the moon?"

Boom—

The instant the fireball touched the whisk, it exploded, erupting into a massive blaze and igniting towering flames.

When the flames died down, the whisk artifact in Xiao Jianchun's hand had been burned bald. He himself was covered in soot and dust, standing there with a blank expression.

Zhang Yang drew out another Talisman. Xiao Jianchun cried out in alarm and instantly retreated.

"What are you afraid of?" Zhang Yang glanced at Xiao Jianchun, then waved the Talisman toward the people around him. "Explosive Flame Talismans, produced by Azure Cloud Sect. You've already seen their power. Every Talisman possesses the force of a Golden Core Peak strike. They are indispensable treasures for seeking hidden realms, hunting treasure, taking revenge, and fending off enemies. If anyone needs them, come place an order with me. The more you buy, the better the price!"

The people around them were somewhat speechless. Weren't they in the middle of a fight?

Still, they had indeed seen the Talisman's power. If the price was right, buying a few for self-defense would not be a bad idea!

Xiao Jianchun's face turned livid. After beating him up, Zhang Yang had actually started advertising?

He turned toward the man in a green daoist robe beside him. "Brother Liang Fang, it seems we can only rely on you."

Liang Fang stepped forward, glanced at the Talisman in Zhang Yang's hand, and only then said in a deep voice, "Young man, you dare bully others at will merely because you have Talismans. Since your elders failed to teach you properly, this poor daoist will teach you a proper lesson."

Zhang Yang asked, "Who are you?"

Liang Fang smiled proudly. "This poor daoist is Liang Fang, an elder of Qingfeng Sect!"

"What is your cultivation level?"

"Currently at Golden Core Peak!" Liang Fang stroked his beard, looking even more pleased with himself. "Those Talismans of yours are useless against this poor daoist!"

Zhang Yang asked again, "How many years have you cultivated?"

"This poor daoist has cultivated for over a hundred years..."

"Our cultivation times don't match. Find someone whose cultivation time matches yours." Before Liang Fang could finish, Zhang Yang had already retreated. He turned to Ling Yunzi and said, "Uncle-Master, you're up!"