Chapter Thirteen: Sweeping Through Shixuan Street

The young man with the powdered face ignored the furious glares from Yi Kai and his companions, his contemptuous gaze sweeping over them with utter disdain. Arrogantly, he declared, “You beggars dare block my way? Do you even know who I am? Fulai, tell them who I am.”

Fulai, the servant, lifted his chin and addressed Yi Kai, Yi Tian, and the others with no sign of fear, giving orders haughtily. “You beggars, move aside! This is the third young master of the Wu family, one of the Eight Great Families of Black Dragon City. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.”

Many of the onlookers, witnessing this scene, gasped in surprise. So this youth was actually a young master of the Wu family—not someone to be trifled with. In Black Dragon City, he was infamous as a dissolute playboy, bullying the weak, stirring up trouble wherever he went. Still, he was shrewd enough to pick on only those with little power or whose influence was dwarfed by his own.

Yi Kai’s heart skipped a beat at these words. The Wu family held formidable power as one of the Eight Great Families, controlling a tenth of the city’s trade. Even the entire Yi tribe paled in comparison. This left Yi Kai feeling apprehensive.

“I don’t care if you’re a Wu or a turtle’s son! You dare lay hands on my little Ting? I’ll beat you up first and talk later!” Yi Shan threatened fiercely, his eyes locked on Fulai, the servant beside the third young master. It was Fulai who had just struck Yi Xiaolong. From the moment they’d exchanged blows, Yi Shan knew Fulai’s strength—at least a first-rank martial artist.

Yi Feng, Yi Li, and the others were all itching to give this master and servant a lesson.

Yi Shan’s words nearly made the crowd laugh. Wasn’t he just calling the young master a turtle’s son? But the third young master of the Wu family seemed oblivious to the deeper insult, his face still filled with arrogance as he looked at Yi Shan and his companions.

“Shan, calm down!” Yi Tian pressed a heavy hand onto Yi Shan’s shoulder, rendering him immobile just as he was about to charge forward. Now Yi Tian fully understood the situation. Even though their anger burned, they had to restrain themselves. With both the rules of Shi Xuan Street and the power behind their opponent, they could not act impulsively—otherwise, they might not even make it out of the street.

Especially since they had to ensure the safety of Xiaolong and Xiaoting, they had to be even more cautious.

Yi Shan could feel the power in Yi Tian’s grip and was stunned by his strength—he simply couldn’t break free.

Seeing Yi Kai, Yi Tian, and the others fall silent, the third young master grew even more cocky. “Move aside! Is Shi Yun Pavilion a place for beggars like you?” he sneered.

Fulai the servant shouted even louder, “Good dogs don’t block the way—move it!”

At that moment, the shopkeeper of Shi Yun Pavilion, a portly man, strode over beaming with smiles.

“What an honor, Third Young Master Wu! Please, come in,” he said, bowing. Then, noticing Yi Tian and his group, he waved them away. “Don’t block the way of our distinguished guests. Leave at once. As for those raw stones you’ve selected, I’ll give them to you as a gift.”

The fat shopkeeper took one look at the stones in Yi Tian’s hands—just a handful—and a flicker of contempt crossed his face. Pretending generosity, he gave them away to shoo them off quickly and to curry favor with the third young master.

“You said it—don’t go back on your word!” Yi Tian’s opinion of the shopkeeper plummeted. Here was a man who fawned on the powerful—a true sycophant.

“My word is gold!” the shopkeeper boomed, turning to the surrounding crowd. “Everyone here can bear witness!”

Yi Tian shot a cold look at the Wu family’s young master, his servant, and the shopkeeper, let out a sneer, and led his companions out of Shi Yun Pavilion. Yi Kai, relieved, hurried to catch up.

“Third Young Master, this way, please!” the shopkeeper effused, paying no mind to the departing group. He knew that among hundreds of thousands of raw stones, the chance of finding a genuine yuan stone was minuscule. These stones were all mined from the outermost, most depleted veins—finding a single yuan stone among a million was nearly impossible.

Every so often, these merchants would plant a yuan stone in advance and have someone pose as a lucky customer, thus stoking the fervor of countless low-level martial artists and ordinary folks. Thanks to these tricks, every shop on Shi Xuan Street raked in gold by the day.

Without such schemes, Shi Xuan Street could never have achieved such prosperity.

Leaving Shi Yun Pavilion, Yi Tian and the others took turns comforting Xiaoting, who soon forgot her fear and unease.

Yi Kai, meanwhile, was feeling guilty—he had nearly failed to protect her and silently blamed himself.

“Maybe we should head back,” he suggested.

“No,” Yi Tian replied. “We’ve come all this way. Let’s continue.”

Yi Feng took a raw stone in his hand, and as soon as he channeled his energy through it—crack!—the stone shattered into a pile of grit.

“Not a yuan stone,” Yi Feng said, disappointed. One by one, he shattered the rest, and none contained a yuan stone.

Yi Kai, Yi Shan, and Yi Li all tried as well, but every stone turned out to be worthless. Had they paid for these, they would have been more than a little annoyed—their few gold coins washed away for nothing.

“Brother, I’ve got one too!” Xiaolong cried, handing a stone to Yi Tian.

Yi Tian took it and was surprised—this was actually a yuan stone. He couldn’t help but marvel at Xiaolong’s luck.

“Well done!” he praised. “Ask for anything you want, and I’ll see it done.”

Yi Tian’s mood improved. Though the day’s events at Shi Yun Pavilion had been infuriating, finding four yuan stones was a worthwhile reward. Still, he had made an enemy of the Wu family’s third young master, and the thought of letting this grudge go unsettled him.

“Could the stone in your hand be…?” Yi Feng, seeing Yi Tian in good spirits, suddenly realized something and looked at him in amazement. Yi Kai, Yi Shan, and the others also caught on, their faces filled with disbelief.

“Come on, let’s visit the next shop,” Yi Tian said evasively, determined to comb Shi Xuan Street thoroughly.

So he led them from shop to shop, borrowing every last gold coin from Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li to buy more raw stones.

Eventually, they had spent all their money and amassed a dozen or so stones. Though his companions were puzzled, they did not ask questions.

Yi Tian had visited nearly every shop on Shi Xuan Street, save for three. In every shop he’d visited, he’d found at least one yuan stone. The remaining three shops likely held at least three more—he could not pass up such an opportunity.

“Uncle Kai, how many gold coins do you have left?” Yi Tian asked, turning to Yi Kai.

Yi Kai, who had already spent three coins—about a third of his wealth—felt a pang of regret, though the hope of sudden riches kept him trying his luck. “Six left,” he replied.

“Lend me your six coins, and I’ll give you a chance at fortune,” Yi Tian offered.

Yi Kai’s heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t guess Yi Tian’s intentions, but handed over his six coins anyway. Yi Tian quickly spent half on nine more stones.

“Let’s head back,” Yi Tian said at last, his heart racing.

They now carried thirty-four raw stones. Only Yi Tian knew the truth—thirty-four low-grade yuan stones, a fortune rivaling the reserves of a small or medium power. He was on edge all the way home.

When they finally reached Cloud Dragon Inn safely, Yi Tian breathed a sigh of relief. He still had Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li keep a close watch on the thirty-four yuan stones.

Taking two for himself, Yi Tian left the inn after informing his companions. That afternoon, disguised, he sold one low-grade yuan stone at a Black Dragon City trading house for eight hundred gold coins.