Take What's Mine, and Pay Me Back with Interest!

After class, Li Yao headed straight out. He planned to get some Spirit Stones from the family for his cultivation.

He had just left the teaching building when a middle-aged man approached him.

Li Yao narrowed his eyes.

It was Yang Mingyou, Yang Xiaoran's father. He always wore a smile, but Li Yao knew he was a bastard. Like father, like daughter.

Several lackeys followed behind him.

"Nephew Li Yao, it's been a long time." Yang Mingyou cupped his hands with a smile. "Xiaoran told me what happened yesterday. She was out of line. I'll make sure to discipline her when I get home."

Li Yao raised an eyebrow.

So far, his attitude wasn't bad.

Li Yao was about to offer a polite reply when Yang Mingyou changed tack. "But you did slap Xiaoran, and if word gets out, she'll lose face. How about this? Give her thirty to fifty thousand Spirit Stones as compensation for the distress you caused her, and we'll put the matter behind us."

Li Yao froze.

He stared at Yang Mingyou's smiling face and sneered inwardly.

The old fox talked about disciplining his daughter, but all he really wanted was to squeeze something out of me.

Ding! Yang Mingyou has been detected attempting extortion. Side quest triggered: Defend the family's dignity. Reward: 5,000 Background Value.

Ding! The Yang Family meets the conditions for a quest. Side quest triggered: Reclaim the gifts you gave the Yang Family or destroy the Yang Family. Reward: 50,000 Background Value.

Two quests at once. The Yang Family really is good for me.

Li Yao had been wondering how to earn Background Value. System quests seemed to trigger at random, so he couldn't simply throw his weight around and use the Will of Domination to bully people for points.

Now two quests had triggered in one go.

Li Yao gave a cold laugh and was about to speak, but Yang Mingyou went on smiling. "Nephew, I know you've been pursuing Xiaoran and have always treated her well. Those Spirit Stones shouldn't be much to you, should they?"

Li Yao took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Have I been too nice to you? Who's your nephew? Who do you think you are, acting like my elder? You think because I slapped Yang Xiaoran, I wouldn't slap you?" Yang Mingyou's expression shifted, his smile freezing on his face.

"Li Yao, what's that supposed to mean?" Yang Mingyou dropped his smile, his voice turning dark. "I'm speaking to you politely. What kind of attitude is that?"

"What kind of attitude?" Li Yao sneered. "Your daughter demanded thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and now you're asking for thirty to fifty thousand. Does the Yang Family think I'm easy to push around, or that the Li Family is?"

"You—"

"You what?" Li Yao cut him off. "Let me tell you something, Yang Mingyou. You know damn well who the Yang Family owes its success to. If I hadn't spent the last three years sending your family resources, would you be where you are today?"

The students gathered around to watch erupted at his words.

"Holy shit, I'd heard Li Yao gave Yang Xiaoran loads of resources, enough to lift up her whole family. So it was true?"

"I knew it! Wasn't Yang Xiaoran's family poor before? Then suddenly they were doing great. They've produced several eighth-rank Martial Masters, and Yang Mingyou himself is even a ninth-rank Martial Master. Turns out Li Yao's been supporting them all along."

"That's a whole new level of being a doormat."

Yang Mingyou's face turned livid, but he forced a smile. "Nephew Li Yao, that's not fair. You and Xiaoran have feelings for each other—"

"Feelings for each other, my ass!" Li Yao scoffed. "Your daughter hasn't even let me touch her hand in three years. You call that mutual affection? She treated me like a sucker, you treated me like an ATM, and your whole family took me for a fool, didn't you?"

Yang Mingyou had no answer.

Just then, Li Wenbin appeared with impeccable timing, a folder in his hand.

"Young master, I've put together everything you asked for."

Li Yao took the folder and opened it. Inside was a detailed record of every resource he had given Yang Xiaoran over the past three years.

Spirit Stones, Spirit Artifacts, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, cultivation resources... Every item was clearly listed.

"Good." Li Yao closed the folder and looked at Yang Mingyou. "Old man, let's settle the accounts."

"Over the past three years, I gave Yang Xiaoran a total of 230,000 Spirit Stones, five Spirit Artifacts, seventeen Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and more cultivation resources than I can count."

"I'm giving you three days. Return everything to me within that time, with interest."

"If the Yang Family can't pay," Li Yao said with a cold laugh, "then there's no need for the Yang Family to exist."

Yang Mingyou's face went white.

"Li Yao, are you... are you trying to ruin us completely? Aren't you afraid Xiaoran will never like you again?"

"Like father, like daughter. No wonder you two are family. Who said I had to keep liking Yang Xiaoran?"

"Just look at your daughter. No breasts, no ass. I must've been blind to fall for her, and she still played hard to get and acted all virtuous. I'm done putting up with it!"

"You—"

"Me what?" Li Yao interrupted. "Let me tell you, the Yang Family has everything it does today because of me. I've changed my mind, so now you have to give it all back."

"That's how it works."

Yang Mingyou's face turned red, then pale. His lips trembled, but he couldn't get a word out.

The lackeys behind him kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing Yang Mingyou like this felt better than Li Yao could say.

"Well? Is three days enough?"

"If not, I can give you a few more."

"But we'll have to be clear about the interest."

"For every day you don't pay, I'll add another ten thousand Spirit Stones."

With that, Li Yao patted Yang Mingyou on the shoulder. "Old man, you'd better think hard about how you're going to come up with the money."

Then he turned and walked away without looking back.

He left behind the crowd of students and a pale-faced Yang Mingyou.

"Holy shit, has Li Yao lost his mind?"

"He's going to make the Yang Family cough up everything they've taken over the past three years?"

"The Yang Family's done for. They couldn't scrape together 230,000 Spirit Stones even if they sold everything they own."

"That's what they get for being greedy. Serves them right."

Yang Xiaoran stood at the entrance to the teaching building, watching Li Yao walk away. She bit her lip until it turned white.

She had never imagined Li Yao would treat her father this way.

Lin Yun came over and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. You've got me."

Yang Xiaoran turned to him, her eyes red. "Lin Yun, you have to help me."

"Don't worry." Lin Yun nodded. "I have a way."

Li Yao left the school and got into Li Wenbin's car.

"Young master, are you really going to make the Yang Family pay you back?" Li Wenbin asked.

"Obviously." Li Yao leaned back in his seat. "I may have been foolish, but I'm not a complete idiot. There isn't a decent person in that family."

"I was blind back then. Now that I've come to my senses, it's time they learned how things work."

Ding! Quest completed: Defend the family's dignity.

Reward: +5,000 Background Value.

Current Background Value: 5,000.

It's not much, but it's something.