âLetâs go and take a look.â Xie Xie couldnât be bothered to bicker with Tang Wulin, so he quickly ran off. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue could only follow him.
âYou guys canât act like this! Not at all! This is how I make my living!â Before they neared, the three of them could already hear Uncle Liâs voice.
Xie Xie was at the front and was thus able to quickly force his way through the crowd.
The cooking table beside the stewed beef shopâs entrance had been overturned. Beef broth streamed out from the countless shattered jars that lay on the ground. The steamy aroma coming from the meat only added to the disarray.
Uncle Li lay collapsed in the doorway of the shop. He was bleeding from the corner of his mouth and had a swollen eye, which only contributed to the look of grief and indignation on his face.
Three burly men stood before the doorway of the shop. The leader of this trio was a bald man, bare-chested despite the cold weather, showing off the dragon tattoos on his arms.
The other two were also quite tall, and were obviously bad people from the look of their scowls.
âSurnamed Li, a wise man submits to his circumstances. There isnât anyone on this street who dares to not hand over the protection fee money, yet youâre always coming up with all sorts of excuses. Could it be that I, Guang Long[1], need to beg? Do we need to specially send someone over everyday to collect a bit of money? If it wasnât for the fact that your stewed beef is quite tasty, this daddy over here would have already disposed of you. So stop talking nonsense and hand over the money today. If you donât, then you can forget about opening up your shop here in the future.â The bald man cast a cold and gloomy gaze on Uncle Li as he spoke. Despite the large crowd, not a single person dared to intervene.\nâBig Brother Guang Long, it really isnât that I am refusing to pay the protection fees. Itâs just that my wife is terribly sick and I use the little money I earn every day to take her to the doctor. But youâve actually smashed apart my business! Now my wife wonât be able to live much longer. When it comes time, I wonât live any longer either.â
Guang Long laughed out loud. âFine then! Trying to threaten me with your life? Do you think that this daddy here cares about your cheap life? Even if you die, I can just substitute you with someone else and Iâll be paid all the same. If you canât pay, then beat it! Donât occupy this space.â As he spoke, he took a step forward a kicked the kitchen table, flipping it over. In a moment, all of the jars of stewed beef on top were scattered about on the ground.
Uncle Li sorrowfully cried, âGuang Long, Iâll stake everything against you.â Uncle Li climbed up with great difficulty, then lowered his head and charged at Guang Long.
Guang Long let out a single evil laugh before raising his leg and kicked Uncle Li, sending him tumbling away. âFighting with your life? In front of this daddy here, you donât even have the qualifications to fight with your life. Donât forget this daddy is a Soul Master.â
âSo just because youâre a Soul Master, you have the right to bully people?â A voice angrily rebuked from the sidelines as Tang Wulinâs trio squeezed past the crowd. Xie Xie quickly rushed over to Uncle Liâs side and supported him. Guang Long was met with Tang Wulinâs angry glare.
Guang Long was stunned for a moment, before he began laughing unbridledly at the sight of this child. âThis street really doesnât have anyone left after all! Even a child dares to get in my way. He truly is a calf that does not know how to be afraid of the tiger. Beat it! This daddy doesnât like to hit children.â\nTang Wulin had been born into an ordinary family. To him, he found the idea of the strong bullying the weak to be absolutely unacceptable! He approached Guang Long with large strides and said, âHow could you treat Uncle Li like this!? Are you even human!?â
Guang Long responded with a cold snort, âCan kindness be eaten? He does this in order to provide for his wife, could it be that I donât need to provide for my mother? Screw being honest! Hurry up and get lost brat; donât delay my business any longer.â
He raised a hand as he finished speaking, moving to push Tang Wulinâs shoulder.
A light flashed within Tang Wulinâs eyes as he ferociously threw a punch at the oncoming palm.
With a âbang,â Guang Long was sent staggering back. Tang Wulin, however, was similarly stunned. âThis guy had been caught off guard, yet he was able to control his body. His strength definitely isnât weak!â
âFine then boy. It seems you actually have some strength.â Guang Long spread his large palm once more, but this time, he aimed to grab Tang Wulinâs shoulders. The dragon tattoos on his muscular arms grew taut, revealing a fierce appearance.
Tang Wulinâs strongest point wasnât his martial soul, but his strength. He raised his fist again and sent another punch flying.
Another muffled sound rang out, but this time, Tang Wulin was the one who fell back. He felt as if Guang Longâs palm was like cast copper, and even with his astonishing strength, he was still at a disadvantage. Tang Wulin was pushed back two steps.
Guang Long was also given a fright. He had already put quite a bit of strength into that grab of his just now, yet the power behind that childâs punch had actually been able to make him tremble and miss the grab.\nâGood, boy! Your strength is nothing to laugh at!â Guang Long advanced another step forward and attempted to grab Tang Wulin once again.
Right at that moment, a strand of Bluesilver Grass shot out from Tang Wulinâs right hand and in the blink of an eye, Bind was used on Guang Long. The ground suddenly went soft below Guang Longâs feet and he felt as though he were sinking into the ground. Â He was unable to exert any of his strength at all. Then a figure soared into the sky towards him and landed, its feet suspended over his shoulder. Suddenly, a dagger appeared at his neck, threatening him.
Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie had undergone special training together for the last three months. Now, they had a complete understanding of each other. As soon as they saw Tang Wulin losing out in strength, Gu Yue and Xie Xie simultaneously launched their assault in order to support him.
Guang Long was caught off guard when the Light Dragon Dagger suddenly appeared at his throat.
The Bluesilver Grass was withdrawn as Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were both highly confident in themselves.
âApologize to Uncle Li and pay for the damages. If not, Iâll kill you!â Xie Xie said with incomparable iciness. His heart had immediately filled with wrath the moment he saw the good-natured Uncle Li being bullied,
âDonât be impulsive now, little brother. Let us talk things out properly.â The two burly men on the sidelines finally reacted. These sorts of murky situations needed exceptional judgement when being handled. If the one holding the knife had been an adult, then they wouldnât be nearly as frightened. After all, not many people dared to kill someone. Children, however, were quite troublesome in this regard. Due to their young age, it was very easy for them to disregard the consequences and act on their impulses.\nXie Xie coldly said, âNothing good will come out from talking to scum like you. Compensate for Uncle Liâs losses and his medical fees, otherwise Iâll kill this baldy.â
Guang Long suddenly laughed. âLittle brat, so youâre a one ring Soul Master. Do you think Iâve been able to control this street all these years without any ability? You think Iâd be able to collect protection fees like that? Do it then. I want to see how youâll kill me.â
Xie Xie was stunned. At his age, he still wasnât able to comprehend something like being fearless in the face of death. When he had threatened Mu Xi previously, sheâd quickly compromised!
The Light Dragon Dagger pressed down on Guang Longâs neck, but Xie Xie still hesitated at the thought of killing someone. Despite this, his loathing for Guang Long had already made him unable to think clearly.
When he pressed the Light Dragon Dagger down on Guang Longâs neck, however, Xie Xie discovered that his neck was actually extremely hard! Â His Light Dragon Dagger wasnât able to cut any further!
âBe careful!â Tang Wulin reminded him just in time as Gu Yue shot a fireball towards Guang Long.
Guang Longâs right hand was struck fiercely, and the resulting explosion separated him from Xie Xie.
As this happened, two brilliant rings appeared beneath Guang Longâs feet. Shockingly, he had two soul rings; one white, the other yellow. His naked skin took on a metallic sheen and metallic scales protruded out of his neck one after another.