145.

"Yes."

Yang Ze's words were like pouring water into the hot oil. Out of all these people, some were still unwilling to believe the rumors.

Perhaps they couldn't believe it or didn't want to believe it, either way, the sudden confession of Yang Ze was like a bolt out of the blue. It took a long time for them to return back to reality.

And as soon as they did, they burst out in rage.

"FUCK. GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK."

"I SOLD MY HOUSE, MY OWN BUSINESS TO BUY YOUR STUPID MEMBERSHIP. TELL ME, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NEXT!?"

"YOU BASTARD, I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR BOSS. BRING THEM HERE."

"YES... THERE IS NO NEED TO BICKER WITH THIS BRAT, WE SHOULD DIRECTLY TALK WITH HIS BOSS."

In their mind, there was no way such a young boy came up with this business strategy all by himself. There must be someone supporting him from the dark, and now it was time for them to meet.

"YEAH... GO AND BRING YOUR BOSS. WE WILL TALK WITH HIM DIRECTLY."

"YOU REALLY NEED TO LISTEN, LITTLE BASTARD."

With each passing moment, the crowd was growing impatient. Some of them even stepped forward as if they were going to tear him to pieces.

Looking at the crowd, Yang Ze narrowed his eyes before shaking his head. "As much as I would like you all to meet my boss, unfortunately, he is not here."

"However...." Before the crowd could react, he raised his hand. "However... He has left something for you all."

"Huh!?" For a moment the crowd couldn't react. It took them some time to process what Yang Ze had just said.

"What is it!?" The middle-aged woman asked with a snort.

"Before that..." With a subtle smile on his face, Yang Ze pointed at the man standing in the middle of the crowd. "Hey, uncle... Why are you in the back!? Come ahead."

As soon as Yang Ze spoke, the crowd turned to look at the man. The man who was in his early thirties was startled by this sudden callout. It took a moment for him to register before stepping forward with some hesitation.

"Nice seeing you again. How is everyone in the Xia family!?"

"Huh!? What... What are you saying!?"

"Oh come on... Don't be like this." With a smile, Yang Ze stepped forward and arrived before the man. From the moment the crowd arrived, he was paying attention to the familiar faces in the crowd, and amongst them, was this man.

'It can't be...' With Yang Ze this close, the man's heart almost jumped out of his throat. He was one of the servants of the Xia family, the one who brought the patriarch Xia Wen to this place. During the entire time, he stood far away from this cabin. In his mind, there was no way for this boy to know about him.

But what he didn't know was, that with Yang Ze's extraordinary senses, his presence was already noticed the day he brought Xia Wen here.

"I...."

"Never mind. I actually do have something to give you guys." Interrupting the man who was trying to explain, Yang Ze stepped back as a smile formed on his face.

"The tragedy that struck the city a few weeks ago had a severe impact on the business too. All of the ruins along with spirit stones were gone..."

Speaking till here, Yang Ze looked at the crowd with a defeated expression as he exhaled a mouthful of air.

"....."

Listening to him, the majority of the people in the crowd clenched their fists. Almost all of them were affected by the tragedy. If not for it, then why would they gather here today to get their money back!?

Yet, even though they knew it wasn't this boy's fault, they were still not willing to let go. It felt wrong, but it was essential for their own survival. At this time, when they have found new hope in the form of practicing, every resource counts. No matter how minuscule the meat on the mosquito is, it is still better than nothing.

Looking at the crowd that still refused to back down, Yang Ze sighed. It was expected. He would be more surprised if they actually listened to his reasoning and went back home quietly.

"But..." Yang Ze took a long pause as his eyes stopped at the figure of the Xia family's servant. "But we are always prepared for these kinds of unforeseen circumstances. Which is why...."

A smile formed on his lips as he continued "Which is why we usually keep some form of backup."

"What do you mean!?" Listening to him, many of them couldn't understand what he was trying to say. He was even using some words that were completely foreign to them. To them, the only thing that mattered was their money, nothing else.

"What I mean is...." Yang Ze took a deep breath as he slowly uttered each word in a deep voice.

"YOUR MONEY IS SAFE HERE."

"....."

"..."

"REALLY!?" After a brief silence, someone from the crowd spoke in a trembling voice.

"Mmmmm...." Yang Ze didn't speak, he just looked at them with a smile and slowly nodded.

"Haaah...."

"Great God... Thank you."

"Thank you, sir."

The majority of the people from the crowd sighed in relief. Some of them even sat on the ground and closed their eyes. The majority of them had used their life savings just for a promising future. Many of them even took out loans and sold their family's properties, just to have a shot.

After listening to the rumors, they were all terrified. If the rumors were true, then it means they were now bankrupt. Everything they did would become a sick joke. But fortunately, the situation wasn't as bad as they imagined it to be. Looks like the Vault of Heaven was a responsible organization, capable of backing up its words.

However, there were still a few people among the crowd who were suspicious of his claims. The majority of these people were the servants of the major families which were here just to keep an eye on the situation and report back.

Now looking at the situation in front of them, it seemed there were going to be some changes.

"Just wait here for a moment." After telling them to wait, Yang Ze entered his house and made his way toward the living room on the first floor. Looking around his eyes finally came to rest on a big wooden chest. With a smile, Yang Ze emptied the chest that was previously filled with some clothes. After throwing those clothes inside his personal space, a wretched smile formed on his face.

With the wave of his hand, he deployed the aura of heaven and earth as the wooden chest was enveloped in white light. This white light lasted for a while before disappearing.

At this moment, inside the once empty box, a massive number of spirit stones were present. The main ability of the second realm of Innate... Manifestation.

As the spirit stones were already white with a gentle luster, there were a few who could distinguish the real spirit stones from the manifested ones. Unless the opponent were in the realm of Innate, it was almost impossible to differentiate between the two.

.

.

"Do you think he is telling the truth!?"

"No idea... But I hope so. If not then...."

"This is our only hope... Let's pray that he is telling the truth."

Outside Yang Ze's wooden cabin, the crowd was already getting impatient. Even though he was gone only for a while now, there were some unable to sit peacefully. Some of them were even pacing around while rubbing the palms of their hands.

Aside from the servants of the big families, the rest of them all had a similar worried expression on their faces.

"He is taking too long... What is he doing!?"

"Do you want to take a look!?" With each passing second, the crowd was getting more and more impatient. Some even wanted to rush inside the house to look for the boy. However, no matter how courageous they were, they still knew their limits. Someone who could run this business and have ties with the Xia family was not someone they could dare to offend.

Were it not for their urgent need for spirit stones, they wouldn't have come here in the first place.

And just when everyone was worried, the familiar figure of the boy made its way outside.

"Okay, I have prepared the spirit stones, but I am not going to distribute them to you guys here."

Standing in front of them, Yang Ze slowly spoke in a firm tone.

"As all of you are already aware that I have business relations with the Xia family, it is only natural for me to hand over their shares first."

Pointing to the servant of the Xia family who was standing there silently, Yang Ze signaled him to follow.

"Please come inside." With a short pause, he pointed at two more random men from the crowd. "You two follow me too please."

The three of the men who were pointed exchanged glances before stepping forward with some hesitation. Though there were many questions, they still chose to obey the boy first,

Following him inside the house, the three of them looked around. Unlike the majority of the houses they have visited, this one couldn't have been simpler. There were no excess decorations or any precious things. There weren't even any carpets on the floor. Were it not for the location of this cabin, they would have thought they came to a commoner's house.

Following Yang Ze through the stairway, the three of them reached a long narrow path. At this moment, the figure of the boy was standing in front of a door.

Even though the three men didn't speak, their eyes were constantly drifting around.

"Come." And just when they were lost in observation, the voice of the boy brought them back to their senses.

"This is...."

"Ssssssss....." Entering the room, before they could ask the boy anything, the scene left them in shock.

Exhaling a long cold breath, the three suppressed their raging emotions as they swallowed their saliva.

"This..."

Looking at the chest full of spirit stones, they couldn't react for a long time. Never in their life had they seen so many spirit stones. For a moment, they just stood there blankly, not knowing what to do.

"Take them downstairs."

It was Yang Ze who spoke out.

"Ah! Yes..." Nodding their head, the three of them picked up the chest and carried it outside. At this moment, they themselves didn't notice how they were obeying the words of a sixteen-year-old boy.

From going inside the house to coming outside with a box, hardly five minutes passed.

"What is it!?"

"No idea."

Looking at the figure of three men carrying the box, the crowd whispered amongst themselves. While many were oblivious, some were already standing with bright eyes. Many of them have already guessed what the content of the box was, but they still stood there silently. Though their rapid breathing along with their rugged faces was enough to give away the excitement they were feeling.

And sure enough, Yang Ze didn't keep them waiting. Walking in front of the wooden chest, he bent down and lifted the lid.

"HOLY SHIT."

"HEAVENS SOOOOO....."

"WE ARE SAVED."

Looking at the chest full of spirit stones, the crowd went wild with excitement. All their worries and fear were now gone, replaced by a sense of relief and comfort. At this moment, their eyes were filled with hopes. Some even sat on the ground and shed some tears while some just sat there in silence.

"Now, before I distribute these spirit stones to you guys, there are some things that I need to make clear."

Glancing at the crowd that was looking at him with eyes filled with expectations, Yang Ze opened his mouth and slowly started speaking further.