Collecting Protection Money

As night deepened, Eastsea City's snack street only grew livelier. After leaving Uncle Li's pot-stewed beef shop, the three officially began their "stroll and feast."

"Xie Xie, those fried meat skewers over there smell amazing!"

"Xie Xie, can I have another basket of these crystal shrimp dumplings?"

"Wow! Sugar-roasted chestnuts, too! They're piping hot—perfect to go with everything!"

Tang Wulin was like a ravenous beast that could never be filled. His eyes lit up at every stall they passed. Gu Yue remained graceful as she ate, but her hands never stopped moving. Whether delicate pastries or hearty grilled skewers, everything placed before her was swept clean.

"Eat up, eat up! This young master is treating today!" At first, Xie Xie's generosity soared to the clouds. He slapped his chest and declared, "Eat your fill! Don't worry about saving me money!"

But as empty plates piled up like mountains behind them, Xie Xie's smile gradually froze.

From one end of the street to the other, the three had swept through more than a dozen stalls. Tang Wulin's stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit, while Gu Yue perfectly demonstrated what it meant to "gorge gracefully." Watching their satisfied expressions, Xie Xie's heart bled.

When he took Gold Soul Coins out of his pocket to pay for the umpteenth time, his fingers trembled. He secretly felt his pocket. The once-bulging pouch of soul coins had become thin and featherlight.

"Boss, ten more lamb skewers! Make sure they've got alternating fat and lean!" Tang Wulin called to the skewer vendor.

"Coming right up!" the vendor answered, brushing on oil and sprinkling seasoning as the aroma spread.

Looking at the lamb skewers sizzling with fat, Xie Xie's heart cramped. He leaned toward Tang Wulin, his face miserable, and pleaded quietly, "Wulin, buddy, haven't we... haven't we pretty much had enough? Look at Gu Yue. She's already eaten three baskets of shrimp dumplings, five grilled squid skewers, and two bowls of tofu pudding... and you... you've eaten plenty, too!"

Tang Wulin was gnawing on a large chicken drumstick. At that, he answered indistinctly, "We're nowhere close! I've barely lined my stomach! Xie Xie, didn't you say we could eat whatever we wanted? A real man keeps his word!"

Beside them, Gu Yue elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth. Seeing Xie Xie's pained expression, she couldn't help bursting into a giggle. She deliberately asked, "Xie Xie, what's wrong? You look awful. Are you feeling sick? If you've run out of money, just say so. I can..."

"Who... who says I've run out of money?!" Xie Xie immediately bristled. Forcing himself to carry on, he pulled the last few Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and slapped them onto the table. "Eat! Both of you! There's more if it's not enough!"

The skewer vendor cheerfully handed over ten lamb skewers. "Enjoy, you three. That's five Gold Soul Coins altogether."

Xie Xie accepted the skewers and stared at the few copper coins the vendor gave him in change, wanting to cry but finding no tears. Watching Tang Wulin and Gu Yue each take several lamb skewers and eat with relish, he had only one thought:

If I'd known, I never would've made that boast... I'm probably really going to scrape the bottom of this month's living allowance.

"Ah, I should've had another bowl of noodles at Uncle Li's earlier," Tang Wulin said, rubbing his stomach, still craving more.

"You have the nerve to say that?!" Xie Xie instantly bristled. "Is that a stomach or a bottomless pit? I'm telling you, this isn't happening again! Never again!"

Gu Yue chuckled beside them, her long purple hair drifting gently in the night breeze. "Xie Xie, that isn't what you said earlier. I remember someone slapping his chest and promising we'd have 'all we could eat.'"

"I... I had lard blinding my heart!" Xie Xie's face flushed as he tried to salvage his dignity.

Laughing and chatting, the three rounded a street corner. Ahead lay a quiet alley leading to the academy's back gate. Yet from the mouth of the supposedly peaceful alley came a jumble of curses and the sharp crash of breaking pottery.

"Huh? What's happening up ahead?" Gu Yue keenly sensed something amiss and stopped.

Xie Xie frowned as well. That voice... why did it sound familiar?

The three hurried forward, hiding in the shadows at the corner to peer around it. The sight before them froze their blood.

Deep in the alley, the entrance to Uncle Li's pot-stewed beef shop was a complete mess. Several burly men surrounded Uncle Li. Their leader was a bald man with a brutish face and a fierce azure dragon tattooed on his arm. Uncle Li's stove had been overturned, and his clay pots lay smashed to pieces. Scalding beef broth covered the ground, its rich meaty aroma mingling with a sickening burnt smell.

"Uncle Li!" Xie Xie couldn't help crying out and was about to rush forward.

Tang Wulin reacted swiftly, catching his wrist. He shook his head at Xie Xie, signaling that they should assess the situation first.

Uncle Li sat sprawled on the ground, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his face bruised and swollen. Clearly, he had been beaten. Clutching his chest, his face filled with grief and anger, he pleaded with the bald man, "Brother Light Dragon, please, let me off! The protection money... I really don't have any left. The money... I spent it all on my wife's treatment. She's still lying in the hospital, waiting for money to save her life! I really don't have any money now!"

"No money?" The bald man called Light Dragon sneered and kicked over an intact clay pot beside him, splashing broth everywhere. "Uncle Li, I've heard that excuse so often my ears have grown calluses. Rules are rules. Any day you don't pay, you're disrespecting us! Your wife's treatment? That's your business. What's it got to do with us?"

He crouched, seized Uncle Li by the collar, and snarled, "I'm telling you, if you don't hand over the protection money today, don't blame me for getting nasty! You can forget about ever opening this shop again!"

The collar tightened until Uncle Li could barely breathe, his face turning red, but he still stubbornly shook his head. "I really don't have any left... please, give me a few more days..."

"More time? If I give you more time, who's going to give me more time?" Light Dragon slammed Uncle Li onto the ground and drew the leather whip from his waist, his gaze vicious. "If you have no money, then die! Save me the eyesore!"

The whip carved a fierce arc through the air, whistling as it lashed viciously toward Uncle Li!

"Stop!"

A furious roar shattered the night's silence. Unable to hold back any longer, Xie Xie charged out of the shadows and stood in front of Uncle Li.

"Stop!"

A sharp shout cut through the gloom at the alley's entrance. Xie Xie's figure flashed like a phantom, placing himself before Uncle Li without hesitation, fury burning in his eyes.

Light Dragon's powerful lash stopped abruptly just inches from Xie Xie's face. He narrowed his eyes, studying the boy who had suddenly appeared. When he saw the cold gleam of the Light Dragon Dagger in Xie Xie's hand, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Well, where did this pretty boy come from? Looking to die?" Light Dragon withdrew his whip and sneered as he looked Xie Xie up and down. "Kid, since you've got a reasonably decent face, I'll spare your life if you get lost now. Otherwise, don't blame these iron fists for having no eyes when they beat that pretty face into a pig's head."

Xie Xie tightened his grip on the Light Dragon Dagger until his knuckles whitened. Looking at the brutish bald man before him, then at Uncle Li trembling behind him, he felt rage almost bursting through his chest.

"Apologize." Xie Xie's voice was bitterly cold, each word squeezed through clenched teeth. "Compensate Uncle Li for his losses. Otherwise, I'll kill you!"

"Kill me?" As though he had heard the greatest joke in the world, Light Dragon burst into laughter. "Little fellow, are you still dreaming? A One-Ring Soul Master? With those scrawny arms and legs?"

The lackeys behind him joined in the jeering laughter, their eyes full of contempt.

Their laughter left Xie Xie somewhat flustered, and the hand holding his dagger trembled slightly. Although he had awakened his Martial Soul, he lacked actual combat experience. Faced with the oppressive presence of a street gang leader like this, he momentarily found himself at a loss.

Just then, two figures hurried over.

"Xie Xie, what's going on?"

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue stood on either side of Xie Xie, their brows tightly furrowed as they looked at the wrecked shop and the vicious-looking thugs.

Light Dragon turned his gaze toward the newcomers. The sight of Tang Wulin and Gu Yue sent a flash of admiration through his eyes. The boy had handsome features and an imposing bearing, while the girl was breathtakingly beautiful, with a cool, aloof air.

Tsk, do all the promising youngsters gather here these days? Light Dragon thought. After all, I'm somebody on this street, and I'm not bad-looking either. This kid in front of me looks pretty good, and those other two will definitely grow into a handsome man and a beautiful woman...

His gaze swept back and forth over the three before suddenly settling on Xie Xie's face, his brow creasing slightly.

"Wait... this kid... why does he look so familiar?"

Light Dragon rubbed his bald head, searching his memory. He was certain he had never met this boy, yet that stubborn streak, and that dagger... kept giving him the feeling he had seen them somewhere before.

"Kid, who exactly are you?" Light Dragon's tone grew uncertain. "Tell me your name!"

Xie Xie took a deep breath, straightened his back, and declared loudly, "I'm Xie Xie! Uncle Li is my uncle! If you bully him, you're bullying me!"

"Xie Xie?"

Light Dragon mulled over the name. Suddenly, a spark flashed through his mind.

"Xie... the Xie Family?"

He snapped his gaze toward Xie Xie, a trace of apprehension flashing in his eyes. The Xie Family of Eastsea City was an established mecha family. How could a thug who collected protection money afford to provoke them?

But then he glanced at his brothers behind him and forced himself to save face. "So what if you're from the Xie Family? On this street, even the King of Heaven himself would have to pay me protection money! Kid, don't think you can scare me away by announcing your family!"

Outwardly fierce but inwardly afraid, he roared, "None of you are leaving today!"

As he spoke, his muscles began to swell, and an iron-gray sheen spread over his skin. Clearly, he was getting serious.

Seeing this, Xie Xie immediately took a defensive stance, twirling the Light Dragon Dagger in a graceful flourish.

"Wulin, Gu Yue, be careful! This guy's going all out!"

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a glance, then each revealed their Martial Soul.

For a moment, swords were drawn and bows were taut at the alley's entrance. The confrontation was ready to explode at the slightest touch.