20: Chapter 20 The Conflict Begins

The sun sank in the west, and the line to pay the Spirit Stones moved forward slowly.

When it was Yun Song's turn, he took out the Spirit Stone and his identity token from his sleeve pocket, holding them respectfully in both hands before him.

Steward Wu merely lifted his palm slightly, and the Spirit Stone and token flew to him on their own.

As soon as the Spirit Stone approached, it suddenly vanished without a trace, clearly having been quietly stowed away into the Storage Pouch at his waist, leaving only the identity token hovering in his palm.

With a light swipe of his fingertips, a streak of tricolor spiritual light was injected directly into the token.

Yun Song's eyelids twitched; even though he had seen the methods of immortals before, this Divine Ability of retrieving objects from a distance still made him inwardly alarmed.

The next moment, the token flew silently to him. Yun Song raised his hand to grab the token and bowed, "Thank you, Steward Wu!"

After saying this, he turned and ran toward the Riverside.

The open space by the Riverside was perfect for practicing, and the nearby river water was convenient for washing up.

Following the starting stance of the Gale Leg, he steadied his horse stance and jumped upward with force, but he only cleared the ground by a foot before falling heavily back into the sandy ground.

His body swayed a few times, his arms flailing, like a bird with broken wings stumbling on the ground.

This starting stance of the "Gale Leg" seemed simple, but it was the Foundation of the entire set of techniques.

He gritted his teeth and tried again and again.

His black clothes were covered in yellow sand, sticking dryly to his body like cracked mud.

Jumping up, landing, then jumping again... After hundreds and thousands of times, his trembling legs gradually gained strength, and when he landed, he was no longer wobbling like at the beginning.

By the time the setting sun had stretched his shadow long, his legs were completely devoid of strength.

He stumbled into the small river, the cool water flowing over his sore muscles like countless soft hands massaging his body.

He lay in the water for half an hour before getting up to wash his clothes, then dragged his legs, which were still trembling slightly, back to the Grass Hut.

Ever since he obtained the Secret Realm, his days had become a tense cycle.

Digging for Spirit Stones in the Mine Cave and practicing the Gale Leg at the Riverside kept him busy all day.

This high-intensity training lasted for a month, causing his body to slim down rapidly, and both Martial Skills improved significantly.

As the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe became increasingly proficient, the strength in his arms grew more robust.

When the number of Spirit Stones he mined in a day exceeded fifteen, he suddenly thought of a brilliant plan.

The task required handing over two hundred Spirit Stones per month. If he could mine fifteen a day, he could finish in the first half of the month and would not need to enter the Mine Cave for the second half.

By focusing on practicing the Gale Leg at the Riverside during his spare time, this arrangement might be more efficient, and he would not have to waste time on the commute.

Spring departed and autumn arrived, winter passed and summer went; in the blink of an eye, a year had passed quietly. The footprints on the sandy beach of the Riverside had long since piled up, layer upon layer.

The once frail youth had not only grown much taller, but both Martial Skills had also advanced rapidly; his entire spirit and demeanor were no longer what they used to be.

Now, he was increasingly proficient at mining Spirit Stones, and he could complete the monthly task of two hundred in just ten days.

He could spend the remaining twenty days focusing on practicing the Gale Leg at the Riverside.

Today was the day he was supposed to enter the Mine Cave to mine Spirit Stones.

When he walked to the entrance of the Mine Cave, eight figures stood across the path like a wall.

The leader was a Black-clad Youth, carelessly toying with a piece of green jade bamboo token with his fingertips. His cold eyes swept over Yun Song, as frigid as if covered in a thin layer of frost.

"Have you paid this month's Spirit Stones?" His tone was dismissive, carrying an unquestionable arrogance.

"Pay the Spirit Stones."

Yun Song muttered in his heart. Looking at this display, it was exactly the same as when the Man in Bamboo Hat collected Spirit Stones from the Miners a year ago.

However, the group led by the Man in Bamboo Hat at least taught some mining techniques, while this group before him was clearly engaging in blatant robbery and extortion.

Seeing Yun Song dazed, a scarred man took out a short blade from his waist, its cold light flickering.

Another muscular man spat fiercely into his palms, his eyes flashing with malice.

A short, stocky lackey quietly retreated half a step, and the group formed an encirclement, clearly accustomed to this kind of roadside extortion.

Yun Song's expression remained unchanged; he simply slammed the mining hoe in his hand heavily onto the ground.

"Thud!" Stone chips and sparks flew everywhere.

"Does Steward Wu know that you are setting up private checkpoints here?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately drew a burst of wanton sneers.

The Black-clad Youth curled his lips into a cruel smile and casually flicked his hand, tossing out half a piece of blood-stained rag.

"Look closely. This is the torn piece of clothing from that servant yesterday who refused to pay the Spirit Stones when we beat him half to death. We won't kill you, we'll just cripple you until you're half-dead; who would care about such a trivial matter?"

The atmosphere instantly tightened, and the confrontation was on the verge of breaking out.

From the corner of his eye, Yun Song keenly caught the gravel under the muscular man's feet sinking slightly, clearly a precursor to him charging forward to attack.

He looked at the blood-stained rag, was silent for a moment, and slowly asked, "Is it thirty Spirit Stones a month?"

The Black-clad Youth raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a condescending haughtiness: "That's right, thirty Spirit Stones a month to ensure you stay safe and sound in the mine without anyone bothering you."

Yun Song calculated inwardly: "Thirty Spirit Stones; at my current speed, I can dig them up in just two days."

"I have already saved quite a few contribution points this year. If I save a bit more to exchange for silver, I can leave this place, return to the village, and live a peaceful life. I'll just endure this small cost for now."

With this thought, he piled a fawning, flattering smile on his face: "I've already handed over all the Spirit Stones from last month for the task, so I have none on me... Can I pay this month's once I enter the Mine Cave and mine enough?"

His cowardly and timid appearance instantly caused the others to relax, and they burst into laughter.

"Heh!"

The scarred man sneered: "I thought he was a tough nut to crack, but he's just a spineless coward!"

The muscular man even spat directly: "What a wimp, look at his gutless appearance!"