Chapter 3: Extortion

"Wang... Wang Shan, when did you become a cultivator?" Chen Tianfeng shivered, his face full of shock, and asked.

Wang Shan gave no answer, repeating his earlier words: "I give you two choices: first, your whole family becomes a household slave of the Wang Family, to till the spirit fields for the Wang Family day and night; second, death!"

"Impossible! I, Chen Dao, am the Chen Family's first prodigy, absolutely impossible!"

Chen Dao's face twisted as he struggled with all his might, but Wang Shan's foot pressed him down firmly, preventing escape.

Chen Tianfeng gave a grim smile and said, "Wang Shan, release my grandson. You're on the brink of death; even if you become a cultivator, what good is it? Could you protect the Wang Family forever? Don't forget, the Chen Family is about to form an alliance marriage with the Wan Family—you should know that. Let us leave, and thereafter we will keep to our own waters."

"Dad, we can't let them go!"

"Yeah, Dad, this old fool definitely has no good intentions!"

Wang Shan looked at Chen Tianfeng and said, "Do you think I'm a fool? Empty words, and it seems you have no sincerity at all."

He applied force with his foot, and Chen Dao's complexion twisted instantly.

"Stop! Stop!"

Looking at his grandson's painful expression, Chen Tianfeng felt a pang of sorrow; he knew how ambitious his grandson was, and this defeat could deal a huge blow, possibly destabilizing his Dao heart and affecting future cultivation.

"You want anything, just speak!" Chen Tianfeng gritted his teeth and said.

"It's simple: I want the Chen Family's own Shi Mu Ling Tian, plus five hundred each of Hundred Spirit Grass, Flame Spirit Flower, and Evergreen Vine!"

Chen Tianfeng heard this and nearly spat blood.

They were also tenant farmers, not much stronger than the Wang Family; after the grandson became a Spiritual Plant Master, the expansion plan hadn't even begun, and just these items would require three to four years of foundation.

"Give it, or not?"

Seeing Wang Shan about to exert force again, Chen Tianfeng gritted his teeth, "Deal!"

Wang Shan clicked his tongue, "So quick to be so straightforward!"

He lifted his foot, and with one hand performed a sealing technique on Chen Dao, sealing all his Qi.

"Zhi Ze, Zhitao, bind him and take him back; we'll talk again when the Chen Family head brings the items."

Wang Zhize and Wang Zhitao grinned, "Got it!"

"You!"

Chen Tianfeng's face flushed red, and helplessly looked at Chen Dao, "Grandson, wait for grandpa to go back and gather spirit medicine to redeem you!"

Then he turned to Wang Shan and shouted, "If my grandson suffers any harm, I will never let you go unpunished!"

"Chen Family head, rest assured, bring the items, and your grandson will safely return to the Chen Family."

Chen Tianfeng flicked his sleeve and left swiftly.

He raised his hand and slashed Chen Dao's neck; Chen Dao drifted into a soft unconsciousness.

Wang Shan's expression turned serious, and he said, "Watch over him; I'll make some preparations in case that old fool Chen Tianfeng backs out."

Wang Zhize looked at Chen Dao with a frown, "Dad, are we really going to let him go like that? This kid is only fifteen or sixteen and already a cultivator; releasing a tiger back to the mountain is a huge threat!"

Wang Shan shook his head and said, "We can't kill him; we have to let him live and go back, but I haven't agreed to any other conditions... Moreover, the Wan Family's alliance with the Chen Family is simply because they value this youngster's talent. If he loses his cultivator status, would the Wan Family still dare to clash with us?"

Hearing Wang Shan's words, Wang Zhize and the other brothers chuckled, "Dad's right."

Inside the room.

Wang Shan pulled up the panel.

He naturally had no intention of letting the cultivator Chen Dao return safely; releasing a tiger back to the mountain is not his nature.

Enter the Mall.

After browsing for a moment, he looked at the options before him.

【Bone‑Eating Powder】: a third‑grade pill crafted from eighteen poisons; it is colorless, tasteless, hard to detect, and while infused with Qi it slowly corrodes the spirit palace, eventually dispersing all Qi and preventing cultivation.

"This is it!"

【Cost: 500 Spirit Plant Points】 Bone‑Eating Powder exchange successful!

After a notification sound, a packet of gray powder appeared in his hand; Wang Shan summoned Wang Zhize, ordering him to give the item to Chen Dao to ingest.

He then continued to examine the panel.

"Cultivation, cultivation—it's not just the body and Qi; we must also arrange the immortal arts."

The duel with Chen Dao lasted only a flash; although he defeated him easily, Wang Shan realized that relying solely on Qi yields very limited power.

Once facing a cultivator who knows immortal arts, he would have no advantage at all.

【Duant Body Art: Mysterious Grade Upper Rank, forging a masterpiece that is unbreakable as metal and stone.】

His frail body and depleted qi‑blood are constraints, so he decided to use spirit medicine to first solidify his physical foundation.

【Pishan Palm】: Middle‑grade of the Mysterious Stage, a massive palm formed from Qi that, when fully refined, can split mountains and cut water.

"What an exaggerated power, but the price..."

【Duant Body Art】 requires 3000 Spirit Plant Points, 【Pishan Palm】 requires 2000 Spirit Plant Points; after exchanging, Wang Shan has only 100 Spirit Plant Points left.

【Zhuren】: Wang Shan

【Cultivation】: Body Refining Fifth Layer

【Lifespan】: 68/100

【Spirit Plant Points】: 100

【Mall】: Opened

【Immortal Arts】: Duant Body Art (beginner), Pishan Palm (beginner)

He thrust a palm horizontally at the air; the air crackled, and the wooden door, driven by a strong wind, creaked.

Wang Shan grinned, nodding with satisfaction.

The immortal arts are sufficient for now; later he must replenish qi‑blood and remodel his aging body.

Chen Tianfeng left quickly and returned just as fast.

Wang Shan led Chen Dao out, and upon seeing the stack of land deeds in his hand and the faint blue‑glowing cloth bag at his waist, his eyes lit up.

This is the spiritual field deed.

Chen Tian, wincing with a sore face, untied the pale blue cloth bag at his waist and tipped it; in an instant, a heap of unusually fragrant spiritual medicines rose before his eyes like a small mountain.

These are the spiritual medicines you wanted; could you return my grandson to me!

After inspecting the quality of the spiritual medicines, Wang Shan nodded in relative satisfaction and then pointed to the pale blue cloth bag in his hand.

Give me that one, too.

You!

Chen Tianfeng, his temperament all over the place, said, "This is the Qiankun Bag I borrowed from the Wan family; don't be too greedy!"

The suction in his hand surged, and the deed and the Qiankun Bag detached instantly, landing in Wang Shan's hand.

Then you'll have to explain it yourself. He returned it to you; next time something like this happens, just wait for your family to collect your corpses.

After the spiritual medicines were taken away, the Wang Family courtyard gate slammed shut with a "pa" sound.

Chen Tianfeng looked anxiously at Chen Dao and asked, "Dao'er, are you alright?"

Chen Dao's eyes were blood‑red, his fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling.

Grandfather, contact my brother‑in‑law; I want them… dead!

Inside the house.

Wang Shan examined the Qiankun Bag radiating a blue aura, silently marveling at it.

The brothers rubbed their fists and palms, so excited they couldn't sit down.

Only Wang Zhize wore a serious expression and asked, "Father, what should we do next? The Chen family suffered such a huge loss this time; they won't just accept the setback quietly."

Tying the Qiankun Bag to his waist, Wang Shan nodded and said, "You're right, but although the Wan family is a noble clan, there are few cultivators among them; they merely rely on their ancestors' lingering influence."

Zhize, tomorrow come with me to take over the spiritual field; Zhitao, tomorrow you take these spiritual medicines and process them into spiritual stones. Zhi Che and Zhi Hai, you two go together, and keep an eye on the Wan family's movements.

"Understood, Father."

Wang Zhize suddenly hesitated, pursed his lips and said, "Father, Qing'er hasn't returned from the Academy for a long time; I want to go to the Academy to see him, what do you think?"

Speaking of that, Wang Shan suddenly recalled that his beloved grandson Wang Xuanqing was studying at the Heavenly Confucian Academy in Heitu City and indeed hadn't been back for several days.

"Enough! You take some travel funds and go."