chapter 51 - 55

Chapter 51: Doing Business (1)

Upon hearing Li Shu's words, Su Chen understood.

In a large forest, all kinds of birds were bound to exist.

There were those who relied on luck to feed themselves, those who relied on looting others to get rich, those who bitterly labored to earn a living. Naturally, there were also quite many who relied on their intelligence and quick wits to climb higher.

Naturally, Li Shu was such a person.

This person was not a martial artist and possessed no martial strength. He had paid money to be able to come to the Halcyon Gorge, and had mixed himself in with a group of martial artists in order to safely arrive.

Although he didn't have any martial strength, his brain was quite versatile. Upon hearing the rumors that the Halcyon Gorge had starsilver ore, he had decided to do some business here. However, he didn't plan on excavating starsilver. He did not have the strength, so he would only be able to excavate a tiny amount. He also wouldn't be able to fight others for better pieces of land. Even if he were to find some scattered starsilver, perhaps it would still be stolen by others.

Thus, he had chosen to serve as an assistant. Since he had entered the gorge, he had begun to look for someone to rely on.

However, his luck was not very good. Although he had asked around in various groups of people, none of them had taken a fancy to him.

The main reason for this was because his asking price was too high.

One Origin Stone for five days.

An Origin Stone's value was roughly equivalent to a tael of gold, and an assistant would probably only earn a tael of gold for a month of work.

To put it another way, this guy wanted a price six times that of normal people. No wonder people didn't want him.

However, Li Shu continued to push for his asking price. He believed that he could definitely find someone who had money and who could also see his true value.

Upon talking with Li Shu for a bit, Su Chen also smiled.

"You are pretty bold with your asking price. Aren't you worried that I'll kill you on the spot out of anger?"

Li Shu hurriedly said, "That's not what I meant, Sir. It's not that this little one is asking for an exorbitant price. However, the people here are generally worth three times as much as people outside."

"Oh?" Su Chen was startled.

Li Shu continued, "Sir, think for a moment. The Halcyon Gorge is deep in the Scarlet Mountain Range, and the path is lined with many vicious, savage beasts. The road itself is also treacherous, and it's hard to enter and exit. Arriving here is no easy feat in the first place. The work is also manual work; who would come to this kind of place?"

That was true. If they didn't harbor thoughts of striking it rich, what kind of person would brave such dangers to get there?

"Thus, this little one's true value is not six times that of other people, but only twice," Li Shu laughed, raising two of his fingers.

"Twice the value of others? You really know how to make these calculations," Su Chen couldn't help but laugh at what Li Shu had said. "So why are you worth twice as much as other people?"

"Based on the fact that I, Li Shu, can read and do math, as well as identify various kinds of minerals," Li Shu proudly replied.

In this time period, where strength was emphasized and culture was looked down on, it was very expensive to print books and manufacture them, and books were also difficult to disseminate. Bringing about an advance in the dissemination of culture was very difficult. Even many mid- to high-class individuals were uneducated and did not know how to read, let alone the lower-class masses.

For Li Shu to know how to read and do math were skills that were truly quite rare.

Su Chen looked at him with some surprise, then looked around and said, "But your abilities don't seem that useful in this kind of place."

Li Shu's face reddened.

That was correct. So what if he could read and do math? So what if his brain was agile?

In this place, all one needed was strength.

Without strength, it would be impossible to protect one's starsilver even if one managed to find some.

Upon thinking to this point, Li Shu sighed in his heart.

Just as he thought that he had failed once again, he heard the youth in front of him say, "It seems as if your luck is quite good. If you can write and do math, perhaps you will actually be of use to me."

What?

Li Shu raised his head

He saw Su Chen continue to walk forwards. "I'll use you for one day. Give me a report on the circumstances in the Halcyon Gorge. If you do possess some ability, and this place is really how I imagine it to be, I can consider officially hiring you."

Li Shu was extremely happy. He hurriedly rushed to follow Su Chen. "I am indebted to Sir's generosity. Li Shu will definitely spend all his energy serving Sir. That's right, Sir, the most ore in in the Halcyon Gorge are located..."

Su Chen interrupted him, "I don't want to know where the most ore is. I only want to know how many people are here and how the strength is distributed, as well as how much food they eat every day..."

Su Chen had already listed out a bunch of requests.

Li Shu felt somewhat dizzy. He couldn't understand why Su Chen wasn't concerned about the ore, instead choosing to focus on the people.

However, Li Shu did have some talent. Although Su Chen's questions were somewhat tricky, he could still answer most of them.

"Replying to Sir, the Halcyon Gorge has roughly five hundred to six hundred people. Thirty two of them are Origin Qi Scholars. Oh, including you there are thirty three. There are around four hundred hunters and martial artists, and the remaining people are just commoners who came here to test their luck."

"What are the cultivation bases of the Origin Qi Scholars like?"

"It's not entirely clear. However, there are a total of three Origin Qi Scholars here who are the strongest. They are Si Lan the Swordsman, Chang Ye the Scarlet Demon Needle, and Zhou Yuniang the Water Immortal. These three people occupy the three locations with the most starsilver ore. From what I heard, they are all Origin Qi Scholars in the Blood Boiling Realm. Si Lan the Swordsman is somewhat reclusive. He's the only one that doesn't speak much. The Scarlet Demon Needle and the Water Immortal have both gathered a group of people to help them dig for ore. Currently, these two groups of people have the most strength, but it seems as if they don't quite get along with each other."

Su Chen finally began to look at Li Shu with a new level of respect. To collect all these tidbits of information indicated that Li Shu was someone who was very meticulous.

Su Chen asked a few more questions, but they were all related to the circumstances of those who were mining in the Halcyon Gorge. He had no interest, however, in the starsilver ore itself.

As Su Chen listened, he also grabbed a pen and paper and began to write everything down.

After he pretty much understood the situation, Su Chen handed Li Shu a piece of paper and said, "I will be leaving for a few days. I need you to help me take care of one thing while I'm gone."

Li Shu received the paper and glanced at it. An impressive drawing of a wooden building was on it. The background seemed to be somewhere in the Halcyon Gorge.

"Sir wants me to construct a building?" Li Shu blurted out, suddenly understanding

"That's right. Construct a building for me according to the specifications of the diagram. You will need to find laborers for yourself. Here is the money." Su Chen handed Lin Shu ten taels of pure gold.

He was not worried about Li Shu taking the money and running. No one dared to renege on the debt of an Origin Qi Scholar.

"But sir, you didn't come here to harvest starsilver but to build a wooden building... why is that?" Li Shu did not understand.

"I did not intend on harvesting starsilver in the first place," Su Chen replied. "I only intended to open a wine house and a general store here and do some business."

"Do some business? Wine house and general store?" Li Shu was flabbergasted.

"That's right," Su Chen replied. "I will sell wine, Vicious Beast meat, shovels to mine ore, as well as a few wares for daily necessities such as cooking pots and pans. All the people living here that are searching for starsilver must have some means of living, right? They can get by for one or two days, but any longer than that and it will become difficult to endure. Since there's no one who will provide services for them, then I will. In addition..."

Su Chen paused for a moment, then said, "We can also accept starsilver. If some people have earned some starsilver and are worried that others will find out, they can sell it to us if they don't want it to be forcefully taken by others. They can exchange them for some daily necessities. That is a pretty good choice as well."

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Page 2

Chapter 52: Doing Business (2)

The rumors about the starsilver in the Halcyon Gorge spread like a plague all throughout the entire Scarlet Mountain Range. Because of this, countless people who were thirsty for a chance to get rich were attracted to the place.

The thirst for riches triumphed over the fear of death, so these people would traverse tall mountains, ford rivers, and pass through forests, arriving at this place all while under threat of Vicious Beast attacks. They thirsted for the fantasy of getting rich overnight.

However, fate would not show them any favor because of this.

Most people would die in the mountains during their journey for riches. The majority of those who survived and worked hard to find riches would completely use up their existing money only to return empty-handed and disappointed. A select lucky few would find starsilver, but many of them did not have any opportunity to keep the riches that they had found, since others would forcefully seize or steal it.

Only a small number of people could safely return to their homes upon obtaining the starsilver.

It was fated that only two kinds of people could obtain any benefits in this ore-excavation location.

One was those who were strong, such as Origin Qi Scholars, especially those who were strong even for Origin Qi Scholars. They could find their own starsilver or employ others to find it for them. They could not only claim the areas with the most ore, but they could also receive a certain amount of benefits from others. The other kind of person was one who could use their brain. They did not place their hopes on fleeting, illusory good fortune. Instead, they used their own vision to discover opportunities and create riches for themselves.

People such as Li Shu and Su Chen.

With so many people in the gorge, eating, being clothed, and waste excretion were all troublesome. If someone was able to help them solve these problems, they would more than likely be willing to pay a high price.

Didn't Li Shu say that laborers here required wages three times higher than that of laborers in the outside world?

This price was truly not too expensive.

By the same logic, goods sold here could also fetch three to five times their regular price.

Although people without money might not be able to afford it, there were always those who were lucky enough to dig out some starsilver. To people who had suddenly gotten rich overnight, they would definitely be willing to spend money to improve their quality of living. That was especially true given that nobody was able to know if their riches would be stolen away by others tomorrow. In addition to these kinds of people, Origin Qi Scholars, who inherently did not lack money, would not mind paying three to five times the regular price to buy the things that they needed.

Su Chen's target customers were precisely these kinds of people.

Four days later, Su Chen once again reappeared in the Halcyon Gorge.

At this point in time, the wine shop and general store that he had wanted was already completed. He himself had also brought back a large quantity of goods from the outside world.

These goods included shovels necessary to excavate ore, crystal lamps, tents that could be used for resting, as well as daily living necessities such as buckets, basins, bedding, towels, etc. There were even a few livelihood products such as firestarters. They were all things that everyone in the Halcyon Gorge desperately needed. Apart from this, there was wine, meat, and vegetable produce. Meat was relatively easy to obtain from the nearby Vicious Beasts. However, wine and vegetables were very difficult to find.

To fit all of these goods, Su Chen had stuffed Zhang Yuanliao's storage ring completely full. He had also carried a gigantic sack that could fit three people. When Li Shu saw this gigantic sack, he didn't know what to think.

All of the goods were priced at three to five times that of market price. Rare yet low-cost necessities were even priced ten times or higher.

Even so, more than half of Su Chen's goods had been sold in just a day.

There was no way around it. Why was there only one such store in the entire Halcyon Gorge?

As for forcefully seizing these goods, that was a joke. People could see that the owner was an Origin Qi Scholar.

Under unclear circumstances, no one would lightly offend an Origin Qi Scholar. People who felt as if they were the greatest under the heavens and on the earth still existed, but they didn't usually live very long.

Whether these kinds of people existed in the Halcyon Gorge was still not known, but at least at the moment no one had jumped in to cause Su Chen any trouble.

Because his business was too good, Su Chen had only conducted a day of business before preparing to gather more goods.

Thankfully, he was already somewhat prepared. The remaining items he would tell Li Shu to continue selling while he gathered more stock.

The process for receiving the second shipment of goods was not the same as the process for receiving the first shipment. Before he arrived, he had already set up relations with a few hunters. He had put them in charge of harvesting and purchasing things from the outside world, then delivering them to the Seven Star Mountain. The path from outside the mountain range to the Seven Star Mountain did not have many Vicious Beasts, so it was enough just to put those hunters in charge of delivery. All Su Chen needed to do was receive the goods at the Seven Star mountain, then inform them about the next batch of goods that he needed. They would then settle on a time to meet.

Thus, although Su Chen had additional expenses, it had also saved him a significant amount of time. Going there and back only took a day's journey. As he went back and forth, he could continue to battle any Vicious Beasts that he encountered, continuing to temper himself. He was neither neglecting saving up money nor his cultivation.

In this way, Su Chen's Starplucking Wine Pavilion and General Store began to rapidly grow in the Halcyon Gorge.

There was no tax or rent. He only had four laborers, each of them responsible for certain tasks in the wine or general store. He also found a chef to cook and placed Li Shu as the head storekeeper, responsible for all transactions.

Apart from selling all kinds of living necessities as well as good wine and other services, the store's most important business was probably purchasing starsilver.

In the outside world, a tael of pure starsilver was worth nearly twenty Origin Stones.

Inside the gorge, this value was halved regardless of whether one wanted to sell or not.

Origin Qi Scholars and martial artists who had found starsilver would inevitably curse the owner's black-heartedness upon discovering the sale price. However, after cursing, many of them had still chosen to sell, offering up many excuses such as 'they weren't sure that they could hold onto it', 'they didn't have any money left to spend', and other similar excuses. They would thus sell the starsilver that they had bitterly worked to obtain at a much lower price, then use that money to buy wine and meat. Some would even spend money to find women. In any case, most spent until they had run out of money.

Su Chen's wine shop also had women selling their bodies. Of course, he was not the one who had recruited them; those women had come on their own. Su Chen did not stop them and did not charge them any fees. The presence of these women could increase the amount of money spent at his wine shop as well as the overall sales volume. The number of hunting groups that specifically hunted for Su Chen had also increased from four to six, and Su Chen had been forced to buy an even larger storage ring to transport these goods.

Many people's bitter work had resulted in them ending up with nothing. They had only obtained a temporary bliss, and the starsilver that they had bitterly saved up ended up flowing into Su Chen's hands. Only those who didn't have any money could prevent Su Chen from profiting off of them.

Because of this, there was a joke going around that everyone was working for Demon Face. Some busybodies even said that Demon Face was the single richest person in the entire Halcyon Gorge. Of course, Demon Face was Su Chen. Because he wore a mask all the time and didn't reveal his true face, he came to be known by this name.

The bigger the tree, however, the more likely it would attract wind. With too much money, others would become jealous and envious, and some would even intentionally stir up trouble.

Even Origin Qi Scholars could not avoid this kind of trouble.

One day, when Su Chen had just returned with the latest shipment of goods, Li Shu came to greet him with a serious expression.

"Something happened?" Su Chen instantly recognized that something was wrong.

"Wolf Blade and two of his brothers came to drink yesterday and didn't pay," Li Shu replied.

He paused for a moment, then added, "They said that they would not pay any more money in the future."

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Page 3

Chapter 53: Wolf Blade

Wolf Blade was an Origin Qi Scholar.

He was an Origin Qi Scholar in the fifth layer of the Origin Qi Realm.

He also had two sworn brothers, known as Red Eagle and Mountain Demon. They were in the third and fourth layer of the Qi Drawing Realm, respectively. In terms of cultivation level, all three brothers were stronger than Su Chen.

Drinking the wine for free was a small matter.

After all, wine was not that valuable.

However, what this signified was very different.

This was obviously a provocation, and at the same time it was a test.

In this world, the weak were prey to the strong. However, those idiots who tried to eat everything without observing things first were often eaten themselves.

So before swallowing up a target, they first had to test it out.

They needed to see if the other party was a piece of meat that could be hunted down. It was also prudent to determine if they were a weak piece of meat, and whether or not the meat would taste good. Finally, they needed to know if there were other wolves or dogs also eyeing that piece of meat...

Thus, everyone was watching attentively.

Watching to see how Su Chen would deal with Wolf Blade and his overbearing drinking.

If Su Chen was too gentle, then very quickly even more people would extort him in the same way. All of the Origin Qi Scholars would dare to do the same thing. They would first want to eat and drink for free, and then that would progress to simply taking whatever they wanted to take. In the end, they might even charge a "protection fee", and Su Chen would be the one paying them money.

Of course, Su Chen could also respond with force. That depended on how he wanted to deal with these three Origin Qi Scholars who were testing him him.

Did Su Chen have a strong backer? A precious treasure? Or something else?

No one knew. However, in order to appropriately deal with this matter, he would have to reveal some kind of tactic.

Upon seeing his tactics, everyone would know how to proceed.

This small test was actually Su Chen's first crisis.

If he could survive it, he could peacefully continue to do business until something else popped up.

Letting it slide wouldn't work. Otherwise, he might as well take all the money that he had currently saved up and immediately get out.

Although Su Chen was not old, his experience was more than sufficient.

Sufficient enough to allow him to understand and estimate the human conscience. He knew the thoughts of those who were hidden in the shadows.

In the time that it took lightning to start a fire, Su Chen already had devised a plan.

He nodded his head and said, "Got it. I'll come take care of it this evening."

"Yes." Li Shu tactfully left.

As nightfall drew nearer, the Starplucking Wine Pavilion's business began to heat up.

The "miners" that had worked for an entire day all came to the Halcyon Gorge's only place of leisure, pulling out the few bits of silver that they had in their pockets to buy wine. If there was no space in the wine pavilion, they would sit outside. Su Chen had set up a hut outside the pavilion, which was more than enough to seat over a hundred people. Because of this, the number of laborers that he had hired had also increased.

As the fragrance of alcohol began to spread, people also began to talk more. The air became filled with foul language. Occasionally, a few young women would also walk by. There would always be lechers who would reach out their perverted hands, inciting surprised cries and crazy laughter.

However, today was somewhat different.

The person behind the bar serving wine for people was not a store assistant, but the boss Demon Face himself.

Because he wore a mask, people could not see his face. All they could see was that sinister and eerie demon mask and a pair of hands that very clearly belonged to that of a youth.

"Why has Boss come to serve wine personally tonight?" a wine guest guffawed.

"I have nothing going on at the moment, so I would just be idling around otherwise," Su Chen carelessly responded.

"If Boss really is just idling around, why don't you come spend some time with me behind the house? There is a patch of wildlands there, and the scenery is pretty good." A scantily-clad woman who was dressed very seductively drew closer, sending Su Chen a flirtatious glance.

"Hahaha, Little Hibiscus you slut, you're trying to seduce Demon Face again?" one of the wine guests said laughingly.

The woman known as Little Hibiscus was one of the prostitutes here. She was always very interested in Su Chen. She would come to try and tantalize Su Chen every opportunity she got, but unfortunately Su Chen never displayed any interest.

Su Chen was always indifferent about fooling around with women, so whatever they said, he would only silently clean the wine cups. He dutifully performed the work that a laborer should do.

However, there were some people who evidently were unwilling to let him go that easily.

"Unfortunately, his 'thing' is not very useful. No matter how much you try to seduce him, he probably wouldn't even be able to harden!" a gruff voice sounded from outside.

This sentence had exceeded the limits of a mere joke.

'He's here!' everyone began to yell in their hearts.

The person that walked in accompanying this extremely loud voice was a tall, well-built man.

This person was roughly seven feet tall, quite a bit taller than Su Chen. People who were supposedly a 'full seven feet' could only be a person with this kind of body size. He was quite brawny, and his face was densely covered with facial hair. He carried a large blade made out of a wolf's body on his back; the wolf's head faced inwards, as if it were swallowing the moon. It was the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade, an Origin Tool that was quite well-known throughout the Halcyon Gorge.

To the left and right of him were two other males. One was wearing a red feathered robe, flying through the air lightly and gracefully. The other's arms hung below his knees, and his nose was unusually large. He was known for his unparalleled arm strength.

Wolf Blade, Red Eagle, Mountain Demon.

The moment that those three people entered the wine shop, the mood of all the guests there quieted down. The entire wine shop that had just been filled with clamor suddenly fell silent.

Wolf Blade looked left and right, then darkly laughed and walked towards Su Chen.

"Demon Face, how come you are here personally to take care of us today?" Wolf Blade sinisterly laughed.

"Your strength was too great, and you scared my assistants. Since you want to put me out of business, I can only come and take care of you myself," Su Chen replied indifferently. He placed the wine cups in front of them. "What would you three like to drink?"

"The best and the most expensive!" Wolf Blade replied, glaring fiercely at Su Chen. "However, I will not pay."

Su Chen pretended not to hear. He didn't even look at him, picking up the wine. "We have an excellent wine that just came in from the Li estate, a thirty-year-old Red Daughter1. Do you want to drink it here, or do you want to find a place to sit, and I'll send it to you?"

Wolf Blade originally wanted to sit and drink at the counter, but Su Chen's "I'll send it to you" caused him to change his mind.

He loudly said, "Send it over to me!"

As he spoke, he began heading in the direction of a table.

The wine shop had been full for a long time, but he directly walked towards a table, and the martial artists sitting at that table immediately moved for him.

Wolf Blade sat down with a grunt. He turned his head around to look at Su Chen pouring the wine. He thought in his heart, this Demon Face doesn't seem all that imposing? I'm putting so much pressure on him, and yet there's no response. Most likely, he is cowering in fear.

Upon thinking to this point, Wolf Blade drew this conclusion and was already beginning to consider how he would mess with Demon Face next.

This wine shop and general store had pretty good business. If he could take over it, that would be for the best. However, the Halcyon Gorge was inhabited by him alone. If he were to forcefully take over, with so many people watching, it might not actually be easy for him to seize it. It was better to let Demon Face hold onto the store, and he could secretly accept a "protection fee". He didn't need too much. They could split it eighty-twenty – himself eighty, Demon Face twenty... No, it was better to split it ninety-ten. That brat should be satisfied with one-tenth.

Just as Wolf Blade was making these considerations, Su Chen had already brought him his wine.

For the mysterious owner of the wine store to personally serve him wine greatly satisfied his ego. The three of them began to devour their food while it was still warm. Su Chen merely watched, meeting any of their demands.

All of the wine guests were closely watching, waiting for Su Chen to display his prowess. However, Su Chen did not say anything, disappointing everyone.

People even said mockingly, "As expected, he is someone without any guts. He is able to endure even after Wolf Blade has bullied him to this point."

"In any case, the other group has three people, and they also have an Origin Tool."

"Doesn't that guy have an Origin Tool as well?"

Su Chen's Cloud-Stepping Boots had not escaped anyone's notice in the end.

"It can only be used to run away."

These murmurs could not disturb Su Chen. He continued to silently pour wine and clean the tables.

When others saw this, they felt even more sure that Su Chen was a character without any guts. Some people scorned him, and even more people began to come up with various schemes and ideas as to how they could profit from Demon Face.

After three rounds of drinking, Wolf Blade had eaten and drunk his fill. He stood up and said, "My meal today was very filling. I'll be taking my leave now," he said as he prepared to leave with his two brothers.

Su Chen finally spoke. "Hey, you forgot to pay for your wine."

"Hm?" Wolf Blade stopped walking, then turned his head to look at Su Chen.

Everyone's interest was suddenly piqued; they knew that a good show was about to happen. Everyone wanted to know how Demon Face would deal with Wolf Blade and the two others.

Wolf Blade's expression sank. "I seem to recall saying beforehand that I would not pay."

Su Chen continued to speak, as if he had not heard. "Six jugs of wine and fifteen kilograms of Vicious Beast Meat costs seven low-grade Origin Stones. In addition, you ate two meals yesterday, costing fifteen Origin Stones. The total you need to pay is... a thousand five hundred and seven Origin Stones."

"What did you say?" Everyone present was thoroughly shocked by this number.

Even Wolf Blade was shocked by the number that Su Chen said. He laughed mockingly, "Do you not know how to do math? Seven plus fifteen, where did the other thousand five hundred Origin Stones come from?"

"There's no mistake," Su Chen indifferently replied. "For every night you don't pay up, the price will multiply by a hundred times. These are my rules."

Wolf Blade's smile froze.

His voice sank. "Are you courting death?"

Su Chen replied, "If you can't afford it, you can use your knife to mortgage it. I have valued it at five hundred Origin Stones. The remaining..."

Wolf Blade, however, did not want to continue hear him speaking. He whipped out his Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade and chopped towards Su Chen. "DIE FOR ME!"

Wolf Blade hadn't taken more than a few steps before his figure swayed, falling to the ground. He was actually unable to stand up anymore.

He looked at himself with surprise, then looked at Su Chen, his eyes filled with panic. "You... You motherfucker, you poisoned me!"

1. A kind of Chinese rice fermented wine

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Page 4

Chapter 54: Interference

One of the unique properties of the Qi Obstructing Powder was that only upon attempting to use Origin Energy would one noticed that they had been poisoned.

This property of the poison made it so that many people would have no way of knowing that they had been poisoned until they tried to make a move.

Wolf Blade's bigger mistake was that he had greatly underestimated Su Chen.

He never expected that Su Chen would actually dare to poison his wine. After all, Su Chen was still someone who was running a wine shop. Giving a customer poisoned wine from his own store, was this some kind of joke? Did he even want to continue doing business?

It was this common way of thinking that had trapped Wolf Blade.

He never thought about how different the wine store that Su Chen had opened was from anyone else's.

The Halcyon Gorge only had this one wine shop. If you didn't want to drink here, you would need to find another place first.

Besides, this matter had been incited by Wolf Blade in the first place. Su Chen was only defending himself. Although this method of self-defense and counterattack was slightly taboo, it was understandable.

His current Scarlet Punishment only lasted a hundred days anyways. He had no need of considering too carefully what would happen in the future.

Most importantly, the enemies had already bullied their way to his front door. What was more important than surviving?

The restriction of this train of thought made it so that Wolf Blade was not prepared for Su Chen's methods at all. By the time he had discovered that he had been poisoned, it was too late.

Both he and his two brothers had all been poisoned. The three of them had eaten and drunk countless quantities of "free" meat and wine. The Qi Obstructing Powder that they had ingested was more than enough to prevent them from using Origin Energy for at least two days and two nights.

Without Origin Energy, they were just regular people, and their strength was not much greater than that of regular martial artists.

Su Chen had already slowly walked out from behind the bar counter. "A thousand five hundred and seven Origin Stones. Please pay up."

"Like hell I'll pay!" Wolf Blade's brother Mountain Demon reacted first. His brain seemed to be somewhat slow as he continued to yell and rushed at Su Chen.

Su Chen's figure blurred. He sent out a flying fist, then grabbed onto Mountain Demon's arm and pulled backwards. With a 'crack', Mountain Demon's arms with unparalleled strength had been broken by Su Chen. Next, Su Chen's leg flew out, landing on Mountain Demon's leg. With another 'crack', Mountain Demon's leg had also fragmented. He instantly fell to his knees.

"Mountain Demon!" Wolf Blade cried out in sorrow and anger as he rushed forwards.

However, he did not have any Origin Energy, and as such had no way of raising his speed or his strength. Even the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade had become just an ornament.

Su Chen's figure once again blurred, as he easily sidestepped Wolf Blade's attack. He then grabbed Wolf Blade's wrist and pulled backwards breaking it. He then struck at Wolf Blade's abdomen, causing Wolf Blade to double over in pain. Su Chen then backed up, dodging Red Eagle's attack. He manifested his body technique's full speed, causing his figure to become a blur. He unleashed a flurry of attacks as he flew between the three of them, creating a symphony of 'cracks'.

When everything had quieted down, Su Chen's afterimages disappeared and he once more appeared in everyone's view. Wolf Blade, Red Eagle, and Mountain Demon all swayed before falling to the ground, unable to stand.

It turned out that their hands and feet had all been broken by Su Chen. They were no longer able to stand.

Upon seeing this scene, everyone felt fear in their hearts.

This Demon Face not only had an insidious personality, but his methods were similarly vicious. Evidently, he had never intended on letting Wolf Blade get off lightly.

"A thousand five hundred and seven Origin Stones. If you can't pay up, I will take it myself." Su Chen had already felt out the pouch that was on Wolf Blade's body.

Inside was the starsilver that Wolf Blade had gathered over a long period of time.

Upon opening it and taking a look, Su Chen casually withdrew his hand and said, "Only so little? I'll take this for two hundred Origin Stones."

Wolf Blade glared furiously at Su Chen. His pouch contained ten kilograms of refined starsilver, roughly equivalent to two thousand Origin Stones. However, Su Chen had cut its price down to only two hundred. However, this was not too much when compared to his Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade which was cut from a price of nearly ten thousand Origin Stones to only five hundred. Unfortunately, even his chin was being forcefully held by Su Chen; he wanted to speak but could not, and could only let out muffled yells.

Su Chen didn't pay any attention to him. He continued to search the pouches of Red Eagle and Mountain Demon. He found four and three and a half kilograms of starsilver as well, respectively, and these were also taken by Su Chen for one-tenth of the usual price.

The three pouches also contained a few other things, but Su Chen pretended as if they did not exist. Naturally, he just assigned them a random price.

"Adding on this blade, this is a total of a thousand Origin Stones. You still owe me five hundred and seven." Su Chen stowed the blade away, then patted Wolf Blade's face as he said, "You still haven't come out yet... Li Shu."

"This little one is here." Li Shu had already ran out.

"Take them away for me. In the coming days, make them work here until they can repay their debts."

"Yes, Sir." Li Shu stepped forwards to take them away.

"Demon Face, isn't this a little too extreme?" a voice suddenly spoke out at this moment.

Upon turning his head around, Su Chen saw a male-female pair sitting not far away from where he was.

Su Chen recognized this pair. They were a married couple; the male was called Bai Fan, and they were both Origin Qi Scholars in the Qi Drawing Realm. The one that had just spoken was the female. At this moment, she was staring at Su Chen as she said, "All they did was eat some of your meat and drink some of your wine. Just that blade is enough to buy more than ten of your wine shop, and yet you still want them to serve you as slaves? Isn't this too extreme?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Su Chen glanced at that woman. "So Madame Bai can no longer stand by without interfering?"

"I'm just trying to say what is right," the woman replied steadily.

Su Chen laughed, but because his demon mask covered his face, no one could see his grin.

Su Chen then said, "I didn't know that Madame Bai was someone who was so chivalrous. Why didn't such a chivalrous person speak up when these three were unwilling to pay for the meat and the wine that they had consumed?"

Madame Bai's face instantly reddened. "Isn't it just some wine and meat? Is it worth haggling over?"

Su Chen nodded his head. "So that's how it is. Then according to Madame Bai, I should just release them?"

"You already took the money and the blade. Shouldn't releasing them be reasonable?" Madame Bai countered.

Su Chen didn't speak, but the killing intent in his heart surged.

Everyone knew that Wolf Blade and the others were subdued not because they were inferior in skill but rather because they had been poisoned.

Releasing them was equivalent to releasing a tiger back into its habitat. They would be back before two days to kill him.

No one wanted this kind of conclusion. The best way to deal with the situation would be just to kill them, completely killing off any future troubles that might occur.

But Su Chen hadn't killed them. He had enlisted them as slaves instead.

Although they would suffer a little and they might be offended or lose some face, they at least would not die.

Not all of the guests in the wine shop understood Su Chen's intentions, but those who had accumulated a sizable amount of worldly experience all understood that Su Chen was actually saving their lives.

Now, for Madame Bai to request their release, this was no longer a matter of saving people; this was a matter of killing people!

This was a proxy killing!

Either Su Chen would kill Wolf Blade.

Or Wolf Blade would kill Su Chen.

Su Chen did not know if this Madame Bai had intended it or not, but her actions had exceeded Su Chen's bottom line.

Su Chen's gaze landed on Bai Fan. He saw that Bai Fan had not moved at all.

Instantly, he understood.

The other party had done things on purpose.

Although Su Chen had taken care of Wolf Blade and his lackeys, he had used a cheap trick to do so.

Because it was a cheap trick, not everyone was satisfied, and so new people could easily jump out.

This was the difference between using force and using cheap tricks.

Only strength could satisfy everyone!

Others had also recognized this. Thus, they waited; they continued to watch from the sides

'It seems that no matter what, I will need to kill some people today', Su Chen sighed in his heart.

Then he said, "Okay, since that's the case I will give him to you."

With a kick, Wolf Blade was sent flying towards Madame Bai.

"That's only proper," Madame Bai laughed as she reached out for Wolf Blade. The instant that she grabbed onto him, her husband suddenly yelled out with panic next to her, "Wife, be careful!"

Madame Bai was startled.

All she saw was a dazzling blade light appear in front of Wolf Blade's chest, shining as if it were a silver moon.

So pretty! She thought.

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Page 5

Chapter 55: Beheading

As the long, blood-colored blade flew out, a headless corpse tumbled through the air.

Blood aura!

Su Chen's move had been both vicious and accurate. First, he had used Wolf Blade as bait, attracting Madame Bai's attention and blocking her line of sight. Next, he had suddenly launched a surprise attack, instantly beheading Madame Bai.

"NO!" Bai Fan let out a heart-broken yell.

He had never expected that his wife, who had only asked for Su Chen to let them go, would be greeted with such a violent tactic.

How could this person act this way? How could he do such a thing?

He was still feeling sorrowful when he saw Su Chen place his hand on Madame Bai's chest, bringing her corpse with him as he flew towards Bai Fan. At this moment, Madame Bai's head was still rotating in the air and had yet to hit the ground. Her eyes were opened wide, as if she had begun to realize something. When she saw Su Chen charging forwards with her own headless corpse, as if holding up a shield, she wanted to scream. However, she had no energy to do so, and her vision dimmed. Her last moment of realization faded into nothingness.

At the same time, Su Chen had already rushed to Bai Fan's side.

At this moment, Madame Bai's head was still flying in the air, and Bai Fan's emotional state was not yet steady. He had yet to even experience much grief before Su Chen had already arrived in front of him.

Su Chen arrived fast as lightning.

In that moment of danger, Bai Fan hurriedly retreated out of instinct from his many years of experience. His speed was extremely fast, as he was actually an expert in body techniques and speed. Multiple afterimages appeared in his wake as he used his speed to avoid this blade strike.

Su Chen's blade struck nothing but empty air, yet he did not stop. He raised his shoulder, then charged forwards. His speed did not decrease at all; in fact, he sped up, and with two loud 'bang's the two of them had broken through the wine shop and rushed outside.

As he was retreating, Bai Fan pulled out his sword and slashed out in the air, leaving multiple sword streaks behind in an attempt to slow Su Chen's attack. In response, however, Su Chen unleashed an extremely powerful blade strike.

He had not activated the blood aura with this blade strike, but it caused Bai Fan's long sword to be knocked aside, revealing an opening.

Bai Fan was greatly startled. In this critical moment of life-and-death, he did not even have time to feel sorrow nor rage. He focused all his energy towards his legs and his speed suddenly increased, as if some kind of lock had been broken in his body. Suddenly, a small issue that he had never understood before seemed to make sense to him. Even his strength had broken through along with this, and he began to fly like the wind.

Bai Fan was extremely excited. His mood could be described as grief and joy mixed together, but in the next instant his mood once again plummeted.

His sudden increase in speed had not shaken off Su Chen. Su Chen's figure had simultaneously sped up. With the activation of the Snaking Mist Steps in conjunction with the Cloud-Stepping boots, Su Chen was actually drawing nearer to him.

How is this possible?

Even after breaking through, I have no way of being faster than him...

"NO!" Bai Fan let out a crazed yell.

A formless wave of sound rushed towards Su Chen at this moment. Bai Fan had unleashed a sound-attack type Origin Skill.

Su Chen's figure flashed to the side as he dodged the attack. Bai Fan used this opportunity to hurriedly change direction, but at that very instant he suddenly felt faint. His figure instantly stopped, and with a few rumbles, the ear-shattering noise from an unknown object struck Bai Fan like thunder, causing numerous splashes of blood to fly out from his chest.

His speed greatly decreased.

Su Chen had already flown towards him.

Bai Fan finally began to panic. He regretted more than ever rashly trying to interfere and pissing off this strong individual.

He yelled loudly, "You cannot kill me, I am..."

The only reply he received was the flash of a cold blade.

Whoosh!

Bai Fan's figure that was moving at high speed suddenly swayed and stopped.

He lowered his head, looking at his midsection. A thin line of blood slowly began to widen. Bai Fan's intestines began spilling out of his abdomen.

"What... a powerful... blade..." Bai Fan barely squeezed out.

"Since your wife is gone, why stay in this world alone," Su Chen coldly replied.

The long blade once again slashed through the air.

This time, the blood of line ruptured vertically on Bai Fan's forehead.

Plop.

Bai Fan's corpse hit the ground.

The people inside the wine shop had just rushed outside only to see that the two people who were battling had already finished. One of them had already toppled over.

Like lightning, Su Chen had emerged victorious after beheading two people in a row. All of the wine guests sharply inhaled.

This was very different from dealing with Wolf Blade and the others. This time, Su Chen's execution of the Bai couple was pretty much as forceful as he could get. Although Su Chen had launched a sneak attack, to be able to kill two Origin Qi Scholars in such a short period of time was more than enough to demonstrate his strength. Especially when he was chasing and killing of Bai Fan, his speed, strength, and reaction all crushed Bai Fan's.

As for the hidden weapon that he had used to injure Bai Fan, no one had seen it clearly. Regardless of what methods or weapons he had used, killing two people in such a short period of time was sufficient to confirm his strength. He was not someone to be trifled with.

If this person had someone directing them behind the scenes, then things would become even more complicated.

Nobody wanted to find trouble for themselves.

Thus, those who had eyed him with greedy expressions all reigned in their lust.

Since their target had displayed his own strength, everything should end here.

As for Wolf Blade, Bai Fan... what kinds of existences were they?

They had no way of understanding, so everyone returned to their seats and continued to drink, as if nothing had happened.

Su Chen felt the corpse over, taking what he could take, then returned to the wine shop.

Red Eagle and Mountain Demon were still lying on the ground.

They had no way of fleeing. Their bodies had been poisoned, and their hands and feet had been broken so that they had no way of fleeing. They could only watch Su Chen with fear.

Su Chen looked at them, stowing Black Streak away. However, he then picked up the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade as he indifferently said, "I do not enjoy killing people. If it weren't for that couple that was courting death, you probably would not have needed to die. But now that Wolf Blade has already died, there is not much point in keeping you alive anymore."

Their expressions changed simultaneously. They wanted to plead for mercy, but Su Chen raised his hand, and a shapeless Qi flow had already plugged up their mouths. "I hear that there is a Wolf Soul inside the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade. Every battle, this Wolf Soul will appear to steal the souls of others. You two are Wolf Blade's brothers, so I will send you on your way with this blade."

As he spoke, he activated his Origin Energy. Indeed, the Wolf Soul emerged from out of the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade. It rushed towards Red Eagle with a roar, biting onto his neck. Red Eagle's neck was bitten in half in an instant.

Su Chen then pointed the blade at Mountain Demon. The Wolf Soul changed direction and leapt towards Mountain Demon. Mountain Demon began to yell with fright, waving his broken arms to try and fend off the Wolf Soul. However, they simply passed through the Wolf Soul's body.

The Wolf Soul was originally nonexistent. The only reason it could bite others was because it was formed from Origin Energy. It was actually just an Origin Skill. Unless one's cultivation base was high enough, or one had a corresponding Origin Skill, it was very difficult to defend against.

In the next instant, the Wolf Soul had already latched onto Mountain Demon's neck, killing him with one bite.

Su Chen's arm no longer moved. The Wolf Soul floated around in a circle, then returned to the blade.

As expected, it was quite a good Origin Tool.

In terms of strength, the Moon-Swallowing Heavenly Wolf Blade was far inferior to the blood aura. However, it was better in that one could continuously attack with it. As long as one continued to infuse the blade with Origin energy, the Moon-Devouring Heavenly Wolf could continue to do battle. Its only flaw was that its energy consumption was relatively great.

If it weren't for the fact that the Black Streak Battle Blade exhausted so much energy, as a grade eight Origin Tool it would be much more superior to the grade nine Moon-Devouring Heavenly Wolf Blade.

Now, one could only say that both of them had their pros and cons. They could be considered complementary to each other.

He could use the Black Streak Battle Blade until he had no physical energy left. However, most likely he would still have some Origin Energy remaining, and he could continue to do battle just by switching out blades. His combat ability in extended battles would increase.

Not bad, not bad, Su Chen thought to himself.

Everyone watching felt envious. However, this Demon Face had extremely vicious methods, and he was also very strong. If they didn't want to be made an example of, they could only give up on it.

The first person often died the quickest. This rule had just been proven a moment ago.

If there were no unexpected occurrences, no one else would try and create trouble for Su Chen anymore.

However, just at this moment another voice spoke up. "That is a good blade. Demon Face, you already have a blade. Why not sell that one to me?"

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