Chapter 76: Dare to Extort the Old Master? Looking for Death!

Wang Zhize led the group, trudging through several intersecting, mud‑filled alleys that reeked to the heavens, and finally stopped in front of a weathered wooden door that was on the verge of collapsing.

"Clan Leader, this is it," Wang Zhize said, pointing at the small courtyard, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness, "On the edge of the town, only this place is relatively quiet, and the rent… is cheap."

Wang Shan surveyed the courtyard before him. Rather than a courtyard, it was more like a patch of ground roughly enclosed by stones, with a few low stone houses standing alone in the middle, their roofs thatched with dry straw, and half‑person‑high weeds growing in the corners. A gust of wind blew, and the gate creaked—shaking as if it were about to meet its end at any moment.

"Fine, having somewhere to stay is already good enough," Wang Shan was the first to push open the rickety wooden door and stepped inside.

Inside, the place was even more dilapidated: the ground was pitted and uneven, and the corners were piled with unidentified trash that gave off a musty odor.

"Can… can people actually live here?" a young woman holding a child asked, her eyes rimmed with redness as she looked at the scene.

"Having shelter from wind and rain is already good; it's better than feeding mosquitoes in the forest," Wang Shan said in a low voice, which made the woman fall silent. He looked around and began assigning tasks: "Zhize, you take a few people to clean the two stone houses on the west side; women, children and the wounded will stay there. Zhitao, you take people to clear the east side; the rest of us will stay here. The remaining ones, clear the weeds in the courtyard and see if you can find some stones to reinforce the wall. Also, vigilance must not slacken; take turns keeping watch at night!"

"Yes, Clan Leader!" the group replied, each bearing fatigue, but at least they now had a place to settle, and their hearts steadied a bit.

Wang Boyan sighed and said to the Wang Yong beside him, "Back in the day when our Wang Family was in Qingyang City, we never lived in a place like this…"

"Uncle, spare us a few words," Wang Yong nudged his arm, "Being alive is already good enough."

Everyone busied themselves with seven hands and eight feet. Though the children did not understand the adults' worries, they dutifully helped pick up small stones. Wang Shan stood in the courtyard, watching the bustling figures of his clan members, his heart a mixture of emotions. Heishi Town, this lawless fringe of the wilderness, could be a new beginning for the Wang Family or another dead end. He did not know, but he had to lead his people onward.

Just as the Wang Family had roughly cleared the stone houses into a shape where people could barely lie down, a sudden "Bang!" roared from outside the courtyard gate!

The already dilapidated wooden door was violently kicked open from outside, the two door panels flew inward, slamming onto the ground and shattering into pieces.

"Who?!" Zhitao was the first to react, grabbing a wooden staff nearby and shouting sternly.

At the gate, seven or eight cultivators clad in uniform black leather armor swaggered in. Leading them was a middle‑aged man in his forties, with slanted eyes, an eagle‑hooked nose, a shallow scar across his face, and a cultivation level around Body Refining Sixth Layer. The few behind him had cultivation ranging from Body Refining Third to Fourth Layers.

Wang Shan's gaze narrowed as he recognized one of them: the sharp‑mouthed, monkey‑faced Shi Clan youth who had previously harassed them at the town gate. At this moment, that cheeky fellow wore a smug grin, hanging on the slanted‑eyed man's side, like a fox borrowing a tiger's might.

"Yo, it's quite lively," the slanted‑eyed man grinned, showing a mouth full of yellow teeth, his gaze sweeping indiscriminately over the people in the courtyard, lingering a few seconds especially on Wang Fang and several other young women, his lewd thoughts unmasked.

The Wang Family members abruptly halted their work, watching the uninvited guests warily. Several young clan members even shielded the women and children behind them.

"Newcomers?" the slanted‑eyed man asked, stepping to the courtyard center, nudging a torn rag on the ground with his toe, and said leisurely, "Don't know the rules of our Heishi Town?"

Wang Zhize forced down his fury, stepped forward, and bowed, "May I ask what guidance you gentlemen have?"

"There's no guidance to speak of," the slanted‑eyed man chuckled, "Our Shi Clan is responsible for the peace of this area. Since you live here, you must pay protection fees. Understand?"

He held up three fingers, "Each person, each month, one Lower Grade Spirit Stone. Since you are many, pay for three months upfront."

"What?!" Wang Zhize blazed at the words, "We already paid an entry fee when we first entered the town! Why demand protection fees now?"

The sharp‑mouthed Shi Clan youth leapt forward, pointing at Wang Zhize's nose and snarling, "Entry fee is entry fee, protection fee is protection fee! Stop the damn nonsense! This is the rule set by Shi Ye! Pay up quickly! Otherwise, we'll toss each of you into the mine shafts to feed demon rats!"

"You…" the Wang Family members were shocked and angry; this was outright robbery! They numbered twenty‑three, each owing one Lower Grade Spirit Stone per month, three months totaling sixty‑nine Lower Grade Spirit Stones! They had been fleeing, with few spirit stones on them; they had already spent part of their stones to rent this broken courtyard, so where could they find so many more?

"Sir," Wang Shan pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, his face showing neither joy nor anger, his voice calm, "We are newcomers, fleeing all the way, and have very few spirit stones on us. Could we be granted a few days' grace? Once we settle and find a livelihood, we will pay the rest."

Wang Shan's aura at this moment was Body Refining Seventh Layer Initial, while the slanted‑eyed man's cultivation was Body Refining Sixth Layer. Relying on their numbers and the Shi Clan's backing, they naturally disregarded Wang Shan. Seeing Wang Shan's softened tone, they thought he was frightened, and their smiles grew more smug and contemptuous.

"Grace period?" the slanted‑eyed man rubbed his chin, his gaze shifting to Wang Fang and the other young women, his eyes lecherous, "It's not impossible. Let your little girls have some fun with us; we'll waive the protection fee for a month, even three months. How about that? Hahaha!"

The few Shi Clan youths behind him burst into raucous laughter, spewing vulgarities unfit for ears.

Wang Fang trembled with anger, and several young members of the Wang clan had eyes blood‑red, nearly charging forward to fight.

"Looking for death!" Zhitao growled low, ready to act.

"Step back," Wang Shan's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Zhitao's movement stalled; unwilling, he retreated half a step.

Seeing this, the slanted‑eyed man thought Wang Shan was completely frightened, and his grin grew even more wild: "Old fool, at least you have some sense! Quickly have them come over to serve…"

His words were cut off before he could finish, the voice abruptly halted.

An indescribable terrifying pressure, like ancient ice, suddenly descended upon the small courtyard!

The slanted‑eyed man's grin froze instantly; he felt a bone‑chilling cold surge from the crown of his head to his soles, as if a sleeping primeval beast stared him down. His blood seemed about to freeze, making breathing difficult. He tried to move, but his body was as rigid as a wooden statue, unresponsive.

The seven or eight Shi Clan youths behind him could not even hum; each turned pallid, their legs trembling like sifted chaff. A few of the lower‑rank ones collapsed with a thud, their crotches quickly wet, emitting a foul, rancid stench.

The previously sharp‑mouthed fellow's eyes bulged, his mouth open, yet no sound emerged, only a huffing "Huff huff" escaping his throat.

What is happening?

That old guy… wasn't he only Body Refining Seventh Layer?

This aura… how could a Body Refining Seventh Layer produce such a force?!

Even the highest‑rank Supreme Elder of the Shi Clan, a Body Refining Ninth Layer Peak, seemed… seemed not this terrifying!

At this moment, they felt they were facing not a person but a volcano about to erupt, a bottomless abyss!

Wang Shan remained where he stood, not even shifting his posture; his eyes, once calm, now were as deep as a cold pool, flashing with a chilling light that made hearts race.

He took no action, nor any superfluous movement, merely speaking softly, his voice low yet like an invisible hammer striking each Shi Clan youth's heart:

"I'll say it again."

"Leave."

Just two simple words, yet they contained murderous intent like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

The slanted‑eyed man felt a chill surge from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head, the shadow of death enveloping him as clearly as ever. He had no doubt that if he uttered another word or hesitated even a fraction, this seemingly ordinary elder would tear them to pieces without hesitation!

He is a ruthless man! A true death god!

They misjudged! They have provoked an entity that must never be provoked!

"Thump!"

The slanted‑eyed man could no longer hold himself; his knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground, beads of sweat the size of beans streaming down his forehead, his voice trembling, "Elder… elder… spare… spare my life! We… we have eyes that cannot recognize Mount Tai! We… we will never dare again!"

"Leave!" Wang Shan's voice changed not at all.

"Yes! Yes! We'll leave right now! Right now!" The slanted‑eyed man, as if granted a pardon, scrambled up using hands and feet, not even bothering to pull the already terrified subordinates, rolling and crawling out of the courtyard.

The few Shi Clan youths who could still move also scrambled and fled, racing to escape this courtyard that felt like hell to them.

The previously sharp‑mouthed fellow also used hands and feet, rolling and crawling, running faster than a rabbit, with none of his former swagger left.

In the blink of an eye, the courtyard contained only the Wang Family members and several puddles of foul‑smelling liquid on the ground.

Only after the Shi Clan youths' silhouettes vanished completely at the alley entrance did the Wang Family members finally exhale as if waking from a dream.

"Clan… Clan Leader…" Wang Zhize looked at Wang Shan, his voice still trembling a bit. He knew the Clan Leader was strong, but didn't expect the Clan Leader to be this strong, able solely by aura to scare a Body Refining sixth layer and seven or eight Body Refining third/fourth layer cultivators like this!

Wang Shan slowly withdrew his gaze, and the suffocating pressure dissipated with it. He glanced at the tattered door panels scattered on the ground, then looked at the unsettled expressions on the clan members' faces.

"Block the door… first with stones," Wang Shan's voice returned to its usual steadiness, though a hint of solemnity appeared in his brows.

He knew the trouble was probably just beginning. The Shi Clan held great influence in Heishi Town, and today this feud was sealed.

"This Heishi Town really isn't a kind place," Wang Boyan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, still shaken.

Wang Shan gave no reply, but silently walked to a corner of the courtyard, picked up a stone half a man's height, exerted both hands, easily lifted it, and headed toward the damaged doorway.

A new challenge had already arrived.