Chapter 279: Chapter 265: Successive Extortions
Mei Zhenmei’s expression shifted uncontrollably. Zhaang Ye, however, simply stood there, watching him with great interest.
He now had the status of a True Hall Disciple, so no matter how arrogant Mei Zhenmei was, he wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him. What’s more, Zhaang Ye had even brought Wei Jiuchong along for backup. Even if the Mei Mansion were a proverbial lion’s den, Zhaang Ye had no reason to worry about his safety.
Just then, Mei Zhenmei took a deep breath and said, "Our Mei Family has always held the True Hall in the highest esteem and treated its disciples with the utmost respect, never daring to show any neglect. The pursuit by Mei the Third and the attack by Mei Zhihua that you mentioned, sir, were their own personal actions and have nothing to do with our Mei Family. I implore you to discern the truth. As for Mei the Third and Mei Zhihua, my family will certainly handle the matter and give you a satisfactory resolution..."
The reputation of the Wei Kingdom True Hall was truly immense. Mei Zhenmei had a Martial Arts Ninth Layer cultivation and was the Patriarch of the Mei Family, a figure whose name was renowned throughout the region. Yet, even a man of his stature was now lowering his head submissively before Zhaang Ye, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
Of course, while he appeared completely deferential on the surface, only Mei Zhenmei himself knew what he was truly thinking.
Zhaang Ye couldn’t be bothered to waste words on the man and said directly, "I require three hundred Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, three hundred top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and three hundred Top-grade Calming God Pills. I trust Patriarch Mei will accommodate my request."
"Three hundred Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, three hundred top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and three hundred Top-grade Calming God Pills!" Even though Mei Zhenmei had been prepared for Zhaang Ye’s extortion, his facial muscles still spasmed upon hearing the list of demands.
A single Low-grade Essence Qi Stone was worth one hundred thousand gold. It took ten low-grade stones to trade for a single mid-grade one, and ten mid-grade stones to trade for a single top-grade one.
In other words, a single Top-grade Essence Qi Stone was equivalent to ten million gold. For Zhaang Ye to demand three hundred of them at once was to ask for the equivalent of three billion gold!
Zhaang Ye’s demand for top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and Top-grade Calming God Pills caused Mei Zhenmei even more heartache. Both elixirs required Top Grade Pseudo Spirit Fruits to concoct, and the process was exceedingly difficult. For top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, for instance, one might not successfully produce a single top-grade pill even after refining ten thousand regular ones.
The ingredients for these two elixirs were precious and the refinement process was incredibly difficult, so a single top-grade Qi Gathering Pill or Top-grade Calming God Pill was worth thirty million gold!
Three hundred top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and three hundred Top-grade Calming God Pills together were equivalent to eighteen billion gold.
The Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, combined with the top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and Top-grade Calming God Pills, came to a total of twenty-one billion gold. To produce such an enormous fortune all at once caused Mei Zhenmei immense pain, despite his family’s great wealth.
However, no matter how much it pained him, Mei Zhenmei didn’t dare haggle with Zhaang Ye. He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and said, "Very well! However, we will need a few days to gather these items..."
Top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and Top-grade Calming God Pills were items that money couldn’t always buy, so it was normal to need some time to prepare them. Having cultivated for so long, Zhaang Ye naturally understood this. He said slowly, "Then I will give you three days. After three days, deliver the items to my residence." With that, Zhaang Ye tossed Mei Zhihua toward Mei Zhenmei and vanished from the Mei Mansion.
As he vanished from the Mei Mansion, Zhaang Ye’s incredibly sharp senses faintly detected a wisp of killing intent leaking from Mei Zhenmei. Sensing it, Zhaang Ye sneered internally. ’Courting death!’ he thought.
Although Zhaang Ye had let the Mei Family off this time, Xuli Qiqi would not. Xuli Qiqi was a Half-step Zhenren; once her injuries healed, her power would only become greater. Now that she had her sights set on the Mei Family, their fate was sealed...
Outside the Mei Mansion, Wei Jiuchong suddenly appeared before Zhaang Ye. He gave him a peculiar look and said, "I was wondering what you were after. I didn’t expect you to come here to extort Mei Zhenmei. Heh heh, three hundred Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, plus three hundred top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and three hundred Top-grade Calming God Pills. The Mei Family is really going to bleed this time."
Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. "They hunted me, so naturally, they have to pay a price. The Mei Family has a legacy of two or three thousand years. They can certainly afford a few mere Essence Stones and elixirs."
Wei Jiuchong gave a wry smile. "Though the Mei Family has a long history, they’re not exactly overflowing with wealth. For big families like theirs, their enterprises may be spread far and wide, but they don’t have much liquid capital. After this ruthless fleecing, it’ll take them at least ten to twenty years to recover. Meanwhile, with these Essence Stones and elixirs, you’ll have enough to cultivate all the way to the Eighth Layer Peak..."
At this, even Wei Jiuchong’s eyes grew red with envy. Three hundred Top-grade Essence Qi Stones, three hundred top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and three hundred Top-grade Calming God Pills. This was a massive fortune even for a Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert, one that would take considerable time and effort to earn. Yet Zhaang Ye had acquired it all just by opening his mouth, making even Wei Jiuchong feel a pang of jealousy.
Zhaang Ye smiled faintly. "In six months, I have to fight Ling Wuliang. If I don’t have any elixirs and Essence Stones for my cultivation, it’ll be difficult for me to make any progress."
Wei Jiuchong froze for a second. "You were planning to hit the Mei Family all along, weren’t you?"
Zhaang Ye just smiled without answering.
Seeing Zhaang Ye’s expression, Wei Jiuchong’s mind reeled. ’From the looks of it, this Zhaang Ye is clearly not an impulsive or reckless person,’ he thought. ’So why would he overreach and challenge Ling Wuliang? Could he really have a way to defeat him? Impossible. Ling Wuliang is a genuine Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Expert. No matter how much of a prodigy Zhaang Ye is, there’s no way he could defeat him...’
After leaving the Mei Mansion, Zhaang Ye suddenly asked, "Uncle Wei, does the Jiang Family have a presence here in Python City?"
Wei Jiuchong replied, "Of course! Python City lies at the border of several kingdoms and backs onto the Python Marsh, so you can find almost anything here. The Jiang Family is one of the four great families of the Wei Kingdom; of course they wouldn’t pass up a place like this. Huh? Why are you asking about the Jiang Family?"
Zhaang Ye chuckled. "The Essence Stones and elixirs I’m getting from the Mei Family are only enough for me to cultivate to the Eighth Layer Peak. To reach the Martial Arts Ninth Layer, I’ll need far more. The Jiang Family is one of the four great families of the Wei Kingdom; I’m hoping they’ll be willing to ’support’ me by providing some elixirs and Essence Stones for my cultivation..."
Wei Jiuchong was speechless. He gave Zhaang Ye a long, hard look and thought, ’This kid is a master extortionist. By coming out with him, I’ve basically become his accomplice. Still, Zhaang Ye’s status is special, so it’s not exactly shameful to help him with a little shakedown. But I should still mention a few things...’
After a moment of deliberation, Wei Jiuchong said slowly, "Nephew, the Jiang Family is the second-largest family in the Wei Kingdom. They have five Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts among their ranks. On top of that, they are a branch of a colossal clan. Even our True Hall wouldn’t speak lightly of eradicating them. If you offend them too deeply, you could have a lot of trouble in the future..."
"A branch of a colossal clan?" Zhaang Ye was taken aback. "Uncle, this clan you’re talking about... just how large is it? Are there many experts within it?"
Wei Jiuchong said, "Across the Barbaric Land, there are countless clans. These clans have existed for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, controlling infinite Cultivation Resources and boasting innumerable experts. The main branch of the Jiaang Family of Wei Kingdom would be considered a mid-tier clan even in the context of the entire Barbaric Land. They have several Daoist Masters and dozens of great Martial Arts Ninth-Layer Experts. Even a national True Hall wouldn’t have much chance of victory against them..."
As Zhaang Ye listened to Wei Jiuchong’s explanation, he was deeply shaken. ’No wonder they dared to hunt me,’ he thought. ’So they have a backer like that!’
A wave of frustration washed over Zhaang Ye at this thought. The Jiang Family had hunted him multiple times, and his hatred for them ran much deeper than his animosity toward the Mei Family. He had long planned to extort them first, then find a way to slowly dismantle them. He never thought a casual question to Wei Jiuchong would unearth such stunning information.
Seeing Zhaang Ye’s dejected look, Wei Jiuchong chuckled. "You don’t need to worry too much. The Jiaang Family of Wei Kingdom has little contact with their main branch these days. Even within the Jiaang Family itself, very few know they even have such a powerful main family. I just happen to enjoy poring over old records and spend a lot of time in the Library Pavilion, so that’s how I found out about their origins..."
"Oh?" Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up. "Are you saying I can still go and extort the Jiang Family?"
Wei Jiuchong smiled and nodded. "The Jiang Family hunted you, a grave offense against the authority of the True Hall. If we were to show no reaction whatsoever, our prestige would be ruined. But we also can’t just wipe out the Jiang Family, as that might attract the attention of their main family, who could then come looking for trouble with our Wei Kingdom True Hall.
While our Wei Kingdom True Hall doesn’t fear them, it’s best to avoid such messy affairs. Therefore, the best solution is to go over there and extort them ruthlessly. The main branch of the Jiaang Family of Wei Kingdom is powerful, but as long as we don’t annihilate their branch family here, they won’t intervene. This way, we preserve the True Hall’s authority and make them pay the price for hunting you..."
Zhaang Ye’s eyes lit up. He laughed and said, "Excellent, excellent! Uncle Wei, let’s go together this time and extort them for all they’re worth! Heh heh, we can just split the Essence Stones and elixirs we get!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Wei Jiuchong’s eyes. He roared with laughter, slapping Zhaang Ye on the shoulder. "Younger Brother Zhaang, you truly are the Fourth Hall Master’s disciple! So straightforward, so decisive, so satisfying! Let’s go! Let’s head to the Jiang Family’s headquarters together, heh heh..."
Zhaang Ye’s shoulder ached from the old man’s heavy pats. He scoffed internally, ’This old codger got all excited the second he heard we’d be splitting the loot, even started calling me ’Younger Brother Zhaang.’ It’s like he’s never seen an Essence Stone in his life...’
The thought of a mountain of Essence Stones made Zhaang Ye forget his aching shoulder, and he quickly followed after Wei Jiuchong.
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