"Protection... protection fees?" the three young n were baffled again. Their family had been "ruling the roost" in this area for over a decade and it was the first ti anyone dared to approach them about protection fees.
"Nonsense! You're on my turf, so of course, you have to pay protection fees!!"
Zhang nglong clapped his hands on the developnt agreent, "I have an agreent right here, authorized by the land bureau of Jiangnan City, black on white. Don't even think about reneging!"
The three martial artists were on the verge of tears. Why did they feel like this elder was kind of a rascal? Typical grandmasters had that ethereal, sage-like vibe, not this constant chatter about money. But they dared not refuse openly.
"Elder, how do you plan to collect these protection fees? We can go and inform our family head. If the price is reasonable, we will definitely deliver it with both hands," said the young martial artist cautiously.
"Hmm..." Zhang nglong wobbled his head, "This place is a feng shui treasure. The southeastern corner is surrounded by Cupid's star, and the northwestern corner shows a 'all rivers run into the sea' situation. Anyone living here is bound to reap love, career, and money. So, the protection fees will definitely not be cheap."
"Just say the word, elder. Our Chen Family still has so assets; a trivial amount of rent is nothing," they now just wanted to get this deity out and consider the money spent as a disaster averted.
To martial artists of grandmaster rank, even the three grandmasters in their own family had to be cautious around them, and who knew what kind of powers backed this grandmaster? Offending him was definitely not a wise choice.
"I won't ask for much, just 500 billion a year!" Zhang nglong blurted out.
"500 billion!?" The three young martial artists' eyes nearly popped out.
Their entire Chen Family didn't even make 500 billion in a year!
In Huaxia, those so-called wealthy individuals only appeared wealthy superficially; they might personally own a lot, but compared to so families, there was a world of difference.
Especially these Ancient Martial Arts Families, their background was incredibly strong!
You have to understand, these Ancient Martial Arts Families have developed over centuries, at least a few hundred years of history each. Though their family fortunes might not compare with those from a lineage lasting 5000 years like Zhang nglong's, they were still far beyond what any tycoon could match.
Whether in politics, business, or other domains, shadows of these Ancient Martial Arts Family mbers are everywhere, their wealth-gathering capability terrifyingly strong.
But the expenses of these Ancient Martial Arts Families were also horrifying; the daily cultivation resources needed by the family youth were practically like burning money, and most of the family's yearly inco could hardly be saved.
"Elder, you're too fond of jokes. Our Chen Family doesn't even make 500 billion Huaxia currency in a year."
"When did I say it was Huaxia currency? I was talking about US Dollars!" Zhang nglong said seriously.
"US Dollars?!"
"Or did you think it was Zimbabwean currency?" Zhang nglong rolled his eyes.
"Can't even cough up 500 billion, and you boast small assets? I'm speechless," Zhang nglong muttered.
"500 billion not available? Why don't you ask around and see how many people in the world could produce 500 billion in cash?" The three young n literally wanted to grab a brick and crack open Zhang nglong's head.
"Forget it, you don't look like you can produce that sum, I'll just go directly to your family chief!" After speaking, Zhang nglong turned and left.
"Elder!"
"Elder, don't leave!"
A grandmaster-level martial artist barging into their Chen Family stronghold was no minor matter, but they had no ans to stop him.
"What to do? It looks like this grandmaster isn't here for sothing as trivial as rent collection. He must have other motives."
"Be confident, remove 'seems like' and 'perhaps,' he definitely has other motives."
"We openly provoked him, yet he spared our lives, maybe he isn't here to cause trouble,"
"We should quickly inform the Elder. I hope nothing bad happens to our family."
...
In the most central courtyard of the Chen family residence, an elder with white hair lay on a bed, his body flowing with profound Inner Strength. However, his face was tinged with black, and each breath seed to require all his strength.
Sitting in front of the window was a girl nad Chen Bingyu, holding a bowl of dicine. The dicine emitted a strong scent of Chinese herbs that could easily cause nosebleeds with just a slight sniff by ordinary people.
"Elder Jiang, is there really no way to cure my grandfather's poison?"
This bowl contained a dicinal solution brewed from a millennium-old ginseng, an ingredient almost impossible to buy, even with money. The Chen family had gone through great difficulties to obtain it from the Tibetan Area.
"It's difficult," Elder Jiang shook his head, "The poison in your grandfather is not ordinary; it's the deeply toxic Inner Strength of the Ding Family's deadly poison palm, sothing that ordinary dical thods cannot remove. If it wasn't for your grandfather's profound Inner Strength, he might have died from organ failure on the spot."
"Even with this millennium ginseng, we can only sustain him for half a month at most. If we don't find the Antidote in that ti, not even millennia-old ginseng can save him."
"It's all because of ," Chen Bingyu started crying, realizing that if it weren't for her, her grandfather wouldn't be in such a deadly situation.
The Ding Family was also one of the ancient Ancient Martial Arts Families, but they did not follow a righteous path. From a young age, the Ding family mbers began to temper their bodies with poisonous dicines, slowly changing their cultivated Inner Strength to be highly toxic.
However, this deadly poison did not invade their bodies but would invade the body of their opponents during combat. Without the Ding family's secret Antidote, death was almost certain.
Initially, the Jiangnan Chen family almost had no interactions with the Ding family, but in a gathering of Ancient Martial Arts sects, the third-generation heir of the Ding Family, Ding Muyun, fell in love with Chen Bingyu at first sight and began his relentless pursuit afterward.
However, Chen Bingyu, who had been focusing on her cultivation for many years and knowing the Ding family's bad reputation in the Ancient Martial Arts World, was naturally unfazed by the womanizing Ding Muyun.
Unexpectedly, just a month ago, Ding Muyun ca to the Chen family, bringing his Elder to personally propose a marriage, bluntly demanding that the Chen family betroth Chen Bingyu to him.
Such an act naturally t with opposition from the Chen family.
But they did not expect that Elder Ding Weiming of the Ding family would openly confront the Chen family right there.
The Chen family's strength was not inferior to that of the Ding Family; on the contrary, the Chen family had three Grandmaster Martial Artists, while the Ding family had only two, one being this elder and the other Ding Muyun's grandfather.
But nobody could have imagined that this Elder from the Ding family had exceptionally advanced from a Level Seven Martial Artist to a Level Nine in just a few years! Even his Inner Strength's toxicity had grown imnsely stronger than before.
With just one palm strike, he gravely injured Chen Bingyu's grandfather!
The severe toxic Inner Strength entered his body, torturing the Grandmaster to the point of a fate worse than death.
The Ding family, notorious for its ill repute, had always been very low-key in the Ancient Martial Arts World, but this ti they changed their usual stance to beco extrely arrogant, even annihilating several smaller families, subtly indicating their intention to make a big move.
Before they left, they delivered a ssage stating that what the Ding family wanted, no one could refuse. They hoped that the next ti they ca, they would see Chen Bingyu willingly returning with them to the Ding Family!
"Elder, there's trouble!" Just then, an ordinary disciple of the Chen family approached Elder Jiang.
"What happened?" Elder Jiang's face imdiately darkened, "Have they co again?"
"No," the young disciple said, "Our disciples guarding the mountain have sent news that a Grandmaster Martial Artist has broken in."
"A Grandmaster Martial Artist? What's going on?"
"He... he said he has taken over this mountain and wants to charge us protection money, asking for 500 billion a year!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)