475: Chapter 475 You want protection money?

The two left the inn and began to stroll along the streets of the City of Buried Bones.

It must be said that although the environment of the City of Buried Bones was harsh and the order chaotic, as one of the few gathering places in the Northern Wasteland, the market here was indeed bustling.

On the stalls along both sides of the street, all sorts of strange and peculiar items were available.

Ye Tian walked and stopped, occasionally pausing at some stalls to pick up a few items to examine, ask the price, and then put them down and leave.

He looked just like an ordinary tourist, full of curiosity about everything, yet not in a hurry to buy anything.

But in fact, every time he stopped at a stall, his gaze would quickly sweep over the items on the stall, while simultaneously using his Divine Sense to probe the movements of those following him.

"The tea stall on the left, two people, True Martial Third Layer and Fourth Layer."

He noted it silently in his heart, "In front of the cloth shop to the front right, an old man, cultivation level unfathomable, but his aura is steady, at least Sea Transformation First Layer.

Thirty zhang behind us, there are two tails that have been following us since we left the inn..."

After walking a circle, Ye Tian had already figured out the number and approximate strength of the followers.

There were five groups in total, the highest cultivation being only Sea Transformation Second Layer, and the lowest being only Zhenwu Second Level.

For him now, all these people together were not enough to fight with one hand.

"It seems the group from the Nether Abyss has not arrived yet." Ye Tian thought to himself.

If those black-robed people had already arrived at the City of Buried Bones, the scouts sent out would certainly not be of this level.

Just then, a commotion came from ahead.

Ye Tian looked up and saw a large crowd gathered not far ahead, and it seemed like people were arguing in the middle.

"Let's go take a look." Ye Tian said, stepping forward.

Pushing into the crowd, he saw a ragged young girl kneeling on the open ground in the center, with a corpse covered by a tattered straw mat lying in front of her.

Judging by the exposed withered hands and feet, it should have been dead for some time.

The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, sallow and thin, her face covered in tears and dust, and her big eyes were filled with despair.

On the ground in front of her, a piece of straw paper was held down by stones, with a few crooked words written on it: "Selling myself to bury my father, five hundred Spirit Stone."

The onlookers pointed and gestured, but no one took out money.

Although five hundred Spirit Stone was not much for a high-level Cultivator, for the bottom-tier Loose Cultivator trying to make a living in the City of Buried Bones, it was not a small amount.

Moreover, in a place like this where life was precarious, who would be willing to spend five hundred Spirit Stone to buy a little girl with no cultivation?

"Tsk tsk, she looks quite pretty, but it's a pity she is a Mortal."

"Five hundred Spirit Stone? Too expensive, one hundred Spirit Stone would be about right."

"Little girl, stop selling yourself, come with brother, brother will make sure you're well-fed!"

A few malicious laughs came from the crowd.

The girl lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, but she bit her lip and did not cry out.

Seeing this scene, Shui Qingdie couldn't bear it and tugged at Ye Tian's sleeve: "Junior Brother Ye..."

Ye Tian nodded, walked forward, took out ten Medium-Grade Spirit Stone from his universe ring, and placed them on the straw paper.

"Is this enough?"

The girl looked up slightly, glanced at the Medium-Grade Spirit Stone on the straw paper, and was suddenly shocked.

Although she had no cultivation, she knew that ten Medium-Grade Spirit Stone were equivalent to one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stone, far exceeding the amount of Spirit Stone she had asked for.

She was stunned for a moment, then her eyes turned red, and she kowtowed heavily to Ye Tian: "Thank you! Thank you, benefactor! I will serve you like an ox or horse to repay you!"

"No need." Ye Tian waved his hand, "Bury your father properly. With the remaining money, buy some food and find a safe place to stay."

"This place is not suitable for you."

After saying this, he turned around to leave.

Just then, an untimely voice rang out:

"Yo, where did this rich young master come from, so generous with your spending."

The crowd parted, and a young man wearing a flashy silk robe with a scimitar hanging at his waist walked out slowly.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a decent appearance, but a pair of triangular eyes ruined the overall impression, making him look somewhat sinister.

He was followed by two attendants, both with cultivation around True Martial Fifth Stage.

The triangular-eyed youth walked up to the girl, kicked the Medium-Grade Spirit Stone with his toe, then looked up, sizing up Ye Tian, with a provocative smile on his lips:

"Kid, you're from out of town, right? Do you know the rules of the City of Buried Bones?"

Ye Tian looked at him, his tone indifferent: "What rules?"

"The rule is—doing good deeds in a place like this requires paying protection money."

The triangular-eyed youth grinned, "This little girl is under the protection of my Horned Scorpion Gang. You giving her money is equivalent to doing business with our Horned Scorpion Gang. Since you're doing business, you have to pay taxes. Hand it over."

He reached out his hand and beckoned to Ye Tian.

The surrounding crowd suddenly quieted down, waiting to watch the show.

Although Ye Tian had only been in the City of Buried Bones for a few days, he had heard of the Horned Scorpion Gang from Black Spider Lady.

This Gang was one of the local bullies in the City of Buried Bones. Although it wasn't a top-tier power, it had quite a lot of influence in the western part of the city.

The Gang leader was rumored to be a Sea Transformation First Layer, with dozens of men under him, specializing in extortion and collecting protection money.

When outsiders arrived for the first time and were targeted by them, they usually had to accept their bad luck and spend money to avoid disaster.

Ye Tian looked at the hand extended by the triangular-eyed youth, not only was he not angry, but he showed a faint smile.

Those present thought this young man was crazy.

"You want protection money?" Ye Tian asked indifferently.

"What, not willing?" The triangular-eyed youth raised his eyebrows, and the two attendants behind him stepped forward, their hands already on the hilts of their blades, looking ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.

"No." Ye Tian shook his head, "I was just wondering..."

"What do you plan to trade for it?"

Ye Tian said this lightly, as if asking a very ordinary question.

But the expression on the triangular-eyed youth's face changed.

He had been hanging around the City of Buried Bones for so many years and had seen all kinds of people.

Some were clearly tough nuts to crack, so he would walk around them.

Some were soft persimmons to be squeezed at will.

There was another type that looked plain on the surface, but a single word or a glance could make one's back go cold.

And the young man in front of him belonged to the third type.

The triangular-eyed youth felt a trace of unease in his heart, but in front of so many onlookers, he couldn't be scared off by a single sentence from an outsider kid.

Did he still want the reputation of the Horned Scorpion Gang? How would he continue to survive in this area in the future?

So he bit the bullet and sneered: "Trade for it? Heh, kid, are you really ignorant or just pretending to be?"

"In this City of Buried Bones, fists are the rules. My fist is bigger than yours, so what I say is the truth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two attendants behind him drew their waist blades in unison.

Seeing this, the onlookers retreated one after another, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

The girl kneeling on the ground was terrified and pale, hurriedly grabbing the Medium-Grade Spirit Stone from the straw paper, holding them up with both hands towards the triangular-eyed youth, her voice trembling: "This... this sir... I don't want the money, I'll give it to you, please don't make things difficult for my benefactor..."

"Get lost!" The triangular-eyed youth kicked the girl to the ground, and the Spirit Stone rolled onto the ground.

The girl let out a muffled groan, her forehead hitting the stone slab, seeping blood, but she didn't dare to make a sound, just curled up on the ground shivering.

"You!"

Seeing this scene, Shui Qingdie was heartbroken and angry at the same time, and was about to make a move, but was stopped by Ye Tian.

"Don't dirty your hands dealing with trash like this."

"Let me handle it!" Ye Tian said, walking up to the triangular-eyed youth.