Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 312 Xiao Youwei

"I understand..."

A smooth-talking middle-aged man quickly stepped forward, his face beaming, and presented a storage bag with both hands:

"Senior, you've worked hard. Here are a thousand low-grade spirit stones. Please take a look."

Old Dao took the knife, weighed it in his hand a few times, didn't even raise his eyelids, and said indifferently:

"not enough."

The middle-aged man's smile froze, somewhat taken aback.

He opened his mouth, about to ask a question, when he saw Old Knife Handle extend two withered fingers:

"two thousand."

"what?!"

Several gasps of surprise rang out from the crowd.

Old Dao stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he hadn't heard the exclamations:

"There's big trouble on that road ahead, and things haven't been peaceful in Luanshi City lately either. This trip is different from the past; it's extremely dangerous and the cost will be too high. A thousand coins is far from enough."

Everyone's expression changed.

The richly dressed man couldn't help but step forward:

"Senior, aren't you just raising the price on the spot?"

"We've been waiting in this cold wind for half an hour, and you come out and immediately say the price is going up, and by such a large amount all at once. This is not in accordance with the rules..."

"rule?"

Old Dao finally raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

That gaze was as cold as a knife on a winter night.

"Kid, are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

He raised his hand and waved it casually.

"Snapped!"

An invisible force struck the man's face.

He flew through the air and crashed heavily to the ground three zhang away. Half of his face swelled up instantly, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he looked utterly disheveled.

"what--!"

The woman behind him screamed, her pretty face turning deathly pale.

Everyone else's expressions changed as well, surprised that Old Knife Handler was so ruthless, ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"You've gone too far!"

The old man in black robes who was traveling with the two men stepped forward with a gloomy face.

The aura of a peak Martial King suddenly erupted, and spiritual energy surged around him like a tide, causing his robes to flutter even without wind!

Old Dao didn't even lift his eyelids. "What, you're going to stand up for him?"

The old man in black robes said coldly, "My young master only asked a question, and you attacked him. This is going too far! If you don't give the Zhou family an explanation today..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

The old knife handle moved, and he waved his sleeve in mid-air.

Light and airy, without a trace of worldly warmth.

But the old man in black robes' expression changed drastically!

He felt an overwhelming pressure, like a mountain pressing down on him.

He desperately channeled his spiritual power, setting up layers of defense in front of him.

But the next moment.

"boom!"

The spiritual energy shield in front of the old man in black robes collapsed instantly.

He was struck as if by lightning, flying backward rapidly, spitting out blood, and crashing heavily to the ground.

"Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

Old Dao Ba Zi snorted coldly, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door, and looked down at the door with a disdainful expression.

The entire room fell silent.

Fear was evident on everyone's face.

That old man in black robes was a peak Martial King, yet he was so easily suppressed without any power to fight back!

This old knife-wielding man's strength is terrifying!

Li Wudao's eyes narrowed slightly.

This unassuming, gaunt old man was actually a powerful expert at the early stage of Martial Venerable.

No wonder they dared to ask for exorbitant prices, no wonder they could freely enter and leave places like Chaotic Stone City.

"Now, who still wants to teach me the rules?"

No one dared to answer.

The richly dressed man lay on the ground, his face ashen, and dared not utter another sound.

The woman beside him trembled and dared not breathe.

The old man in black robes struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension as he looked at the old knife-wielder. There was no trace of the imposing manner he had displayed earlier.

Everyone else fell silent, even their breathing became lighter.

Old Dao took in everyone's reactions and snorted coldly:

"If you want to go to Luanshi City, you have to abide by my rules."

"My rules are the only rules!"

"Anyone who objects can get out now. No service intended!"

He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he had just casually swatted away two flies.

The crowd looked at each other, and no one dared to utter a sound.

A deathly silence fell over the room.

At this moment, Xie Buruo's expression changed several times before he finally forced a smile and said:

"Senior, please calm down. Two thousand spirit stones, this is for me."

He quickly stepped forward, took out a storage bag from his pocket, and presented it with both hands.

The others, as if waking from a dream, quickly took out their spirit stones to make up for it.

The richly dressed man gritted his teeth, took out a spirit stone from his pocket, and handed it over with trembling hands.

Now, circumstances are beyond their control, and no matter how unwilling they are, they can only endure it.

It was Li Wudao's turn.

He stepped forward calmly, took out a storage bag from his pocket, and casually handed it over.

Old Dao took the knife and weighed it in his hand for a few moments.

Suddenly, a slight movement appeared on his expressionless face.

There wasn't two thousand in the storage bag.

Instead, it was three thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Old Dao raised his eyelids and glanced at Li Wudao.

Those sharp eyes, carrying a hint of profound meaning, lingered on the boy's face for a moment.

He didn't say anything and accepted the storage bag.

Li Wudao calmly withdrew.

Giving him an extra thousand spirit stones is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

But perhaps it will leave a different impression on this local tyrant.

These powerful individuals who live on the edge value attitude more than spirit stones.

He didn't lose out.

After everyone handed over their spirit stones, the scene gradually quieted down.

In the end, only one person remained.

In the corner, the girl in black remained standing in the same spot, hesitant to step forward.

She lowered her head slightly, her hands clenched tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

All eyes turned to her, their expressions varied.

The richly dressed man had been helped up, his face swollen on one side, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at the girl in black.

This woman was indeed extremely beautiful.

She's much prettier than his female companion.

Old Dao Ba Zi also looked at her, his brows furrowing slightly: "What are you dawdling for? Are you going or not?"

The girl in black took a deep breath and looked up.

Under the lamplight, a hint of unspeakable embarrassment appeared on that cool and flawless face.

She looked at the old knife handle, her voice clear and cold, yet tinged with a hint of difficulty:

“Senior, I… don’t have that many spirit stones on me.”

She paused, biting her lip:

"As for the remaining five hundred spirit stones, could you... owe me for now? I will definitely pay them back once we enter Chaotic Stone City, and I will repay you double."

Old Dao looked at her expressionlessly: "No credit. That's the rule, not a penny less."

"There has never been an exception."

The girl in black looked slightly pale.

Standing there, I felt somewhat at a loss.

Other people's eyes swept over.

Some gloated, some were indifferent, and some even had a glint of greed in their eyes.

The richly dressed man had a swollen face and looked disheveled, but he still couldn't help but glance at the girl in black a few more times.

The girl wore a tight black dress, revealing her beautiful figure, with skin as white as snow and eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting.

In particular, that aloof and proud temperament, combined with his current predicament, has a unique and touching quality.

He rolled his eyes and stepped forward: "It's just five hundred spirit stones, I'll pay for this fairy."

The girl in black looked at him with a hint of gratitude. "Thank you, young master. I will repay you double once we enter Chaotic Stone City."

"It's nothing, just a few spirit stones. I don't care about it, but..."

The man in fancy clothes forced out what he thought was a dashing smile, but it looked particularly comical because of the swollen half of his face.

"Fairy, would it be alright if you had a cup of tea and a chat with me later, and perhaps have a deeper conversation?"

He rubbed his hands together and chuckled.

His female companion's expression changed, and she glared hatefully at the girl in black.

"you......"

The girl in black, her pretty face frosty, frowned and refused: "No need, I don't care about your spirit stones."

She had thought the man in fine clothes was kindly helping her, but she hadn't expected him to have such a despicable thought, so naturally she couldn't agree.

Upon hearing this, a hint of annoyance flashed across the richly dressed man's face, and he was about to speak.

"I'll make up for what she's missing."

A clear voice rang out.

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at the source of the sound.

Li Wudao stepped forward calmly, took out a storage bag from his pocket, and casually tossed it to Old Daobazi.

"Done."

Old Dao caught the knife, weighed it in his hand, and put it away.

The girl in black suddenly turned her head and looked at Li Wudao.

A clear sense of vigilance flashed in those cool, clear eyes.

"you……"

She stared at Li Wudao, her voice icy: "What are you after?"

Having learned from past mistakes, she had to be cautious.

Li Wudao was amused by her wary look.

He waved his hand: "I don't have any ulterior motives. Everyone has their difficulties when they're away from home."

After a pause, Li Wudao's gaze swept across her face, a hint of amusement in it:

"Besides, I can't stand seeing beautiful women in trouble... Is that explanation acceptable?"

The girl in black was taken aback.

I never expected the boy to respond like that.

A barely perceptible blush flashed across that cool and aloof face.

It happened very quickly and very faintly, so faintly that it was almost invisible.

Thank you.

Her voice was still cold, but less distant than before.

.......

After collecting all the spirit stones, Old Knife glanced at everyone:

"Fifteen days later, at noon, meet at Sanlipo, north of the city."

"No more waiting after the deadline."

After saying that, he turned around and went back inside.

"boom--"

The dilapidated wooden door was closed tightly once again.

Everyone looked at each other.

The young men finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to complain in hushed tones.

"What the hell? They're trying to raise prices and then assault people..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough. He's a Martial Venerable, what can you do about it?"

"Phew, I can finally go back and rest. I don't want to stay in this awful place for another second."

They muttered to themselves as they walked out of the alley.

Before leaving, the richly dressed man turned back for one last, hopeful glance at the girl in black.

“My lady, I live in the Yue Lai Inn in the city. If you change your mind, you may come to find me at any time.”

After saying that, he glanced at Li Wudao beside him and frowned.

He wanted to say something more, but his female companion forcibly dragged him away.

Xie should leave last.

He glanced at Li Wudao, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and then turned and left.

Soon, only Li Wudao and the girl in black remained at the door.

The girl was silent for a moment before finally speaking: "Thank you for earlier."

"You already thanked me."

Li Wudao waved his hand, "It's only five hundred spirit stones. Just return them to me when we get to Luanshi City. Don't worry, I have no other intentions."

The girl in black nodded and said nothing more.

"..."

She was truly aloof, or perhaps even withdrawn. Standing before her, Li Wudao was afraid the air would suddenly fall silent.

Compared to her, Jiang Churan, that arrogant and aloof person, seemed "approachable".

"I'm going back."

Perhaps unable to bear the awkward atmosphere any longer, the girl in black said those words and turned to leave.

After walking seven or eight steps, she suddenly stopped, turned to the side, and revealed a flawless profile.

After hesitating for a moment, she parted her red lips slightly and said, "My name is 'Xiao Youwei,' what... is your name?"