23: Chapter 23 Furious

Inside a Grass Hut on the south side of the Mining Site, Yuwen Jinyuan's face was as dark as water. He sat upright on a rough wooden chair, his chest heaving violently from rapid breathing.

The humiliation of being forced by Yun Song to hand over four hundred Spirit Stones just moments ago was currently piercing his heart like a poisonous thorn, and combined with his unhealed wounds, it set his internal organs burning with pain.

With a loud "bang,"

he slammed his palm onto the table, causing the inferior wood to crack with a thin line.

The moment his eyes widened, the rage in his pupils was like a volcano about to erupt, nearly tearing the roof off this simple Grass Hut: "You bunch of useless trash! You brag to the heavens on ordinary days, but when it's time to actually fight, none of you are of any use!"

"Look at that cowardly, pathetic display you put on today! You were beaten to the ground in a few moves, and I had to beg for mercy just to save our lives. You've truly made me lose all face!"

"Brother Yuan, th-this was purely a careless mistake!"

A slightly chubby man among the seven, his eyes filled with trepidation, rubbed the bruises on his arm and defended himself, "We are certainly not cowards; it's just that the kid was too cunning."

"Earlier in the Mine Cave, seeing him looking so soft and easy to bully, we let our guard down. Who would have thought he could wield a mining hoe so fiercely, and his footwork was even more tricky..."

"Slap! Slap!"

Two crisp slaps rang out suddenly, cutting off his words.

Seeing his subordinate still rambling on with excuses, Yuwen Jinyuan's fury shot to the top of his head. He took a few steps forward and delivered two fierce slaps: "Toad, you talk the most on ordinary days!"

"You were the first one he swept to the ground with a single hit of his mining hoe just now, and now you have the face to talk nonsense here?"

The man named Toad had half his cheek instantly swollen from the blow, his head buzzing, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He didn't dare say another word, only standing there with his head bowed and face covered, full of regret for bringing up the wrong topic. Didn't he see that Brother Yuan was already fuming with pain?

Yuwen Jinyuan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kick them. His gaze swept over the group with a sinister look, then fixed on five of them. He said in a deep voice, "Skinny Monkey, Black Bear, Fox, Scarface, Shorty, you five continue to guard the Mine Cave. Find out who else hasn't paid their protection fee this month. Don't let these trivial matters delay the tribute to the steward."

Changing his tone, he looked at the face-covering Toad and another man with a pockmarked face, his voice carrying unquestionable authority: "Toad, Pockmark, you two go and find out clearly for me immediately."

"What is that kid's name? The more detailed you can find out about his background, the better!"

"Remember, be quick about it. I want to hear news before dark."

"Yes!"

The seven answered in unison, almost stumbling to their feet at the same time and scrambling out of the Grass Hut, as none wanted to provoke his bad temper again.

After everyone left, only Yuwen Jinyuan remained in the Grass Hut.

He ripped open his clothes, revealing a wound on his shoulder so deep the bone was visible—the result of being grazed by the edge of Yun Song's mining hoe, which was still throbbing with pain.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled a palm-sized yellow talisman from his bosom.

The talisman paper was ancient in texture, covered with winding patterns. Bright yellow and vermilion colors intertwined, appearing chaotic yet containing a certain mysterious order, with a faint light flowing across it, exuding a strange aura.

This was a protective talisman left to him by his brother in the Tianhua Sect, which he would never use unless absolutely necessary.

Yuwen Jinyuan's expression turned solemn, and he clenched his hands tightly, crushing the yellow talisman with a "rip" sound.

A strange scene followed; the shattered yellow paper turned into a ball of thick white mist, hovering in front of him with a trace of chill.

At this moment, there was no trace of the previous rage or ruthlessness on his face, only a look of grievance and frustration, like a child who had been greatly wronged.

"Brother, today we ran into a tough opponent at the entrance of the Mine Cave..." He spoke softly to the ball of white mist, his voice filled with deliberately exaggerated choking.

"I, I was injured by someone, and that kid even declared he would collect protection fees from us every month. I cannot swallow this insult..."

After saying this, he lightly raised his hand and patted the ball of white mist, as if acting spoiled and asking for help.

The white mist trembled slightly, then turned into wisps of blue smoke and dissipated into the air.

In the Tianhua Sect, thousands of stone houses were scattered across the back mountain. Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the Spiritual Qi was several times denser than at the foot of the mountain.

Inside one of the stone houses, it was quiet and peaceful. A young man was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his posture as upright as a pine, with a faint light of Spiritual Qi swirling around him.

His sword-like eyebrows reached his temples, his nose bridge was sharp, and his thin lips were pressed into a cold, hard line.

His black hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and a few stray locks fell by his cheeks, making his features look even more defined.

This person was none other than Yuwen Jinyuan's older brother, the Tianhua Sect Inner Sect Disciple, Yuwen Jinran.

Suddenly, a faint, ethereal sound transmission filled with sobbing rang in his ears, startling him awake from his Cultivate.

Yuwen Jinran opened his eyes abruptly, a cold glint flashing in his pupils. The Spiritual Qi around him suddenly surged, and the celadon teacup on the table cracked with a "click."

His expression grew stern. He reached back and slapped the Storage Pouch at his waist, and an identical yellow talisman appeared in his palm out of thin air.

His five fingers tightened, and the yellow talisman shattered instantly, turning into a ball of white mist.

He spoke in a deep voice, his tone filled with unquestionable anger: "Jinyuan, wait for me at the entrance of The Mine. Anyone who dares to touch my, Yuwen Jinran's, people is seeking death!"

As his voice fell, he gave a casual wave, and the white mist dispersed.

The next moment, Yuwen Jinran's figure streaked out of the stone house like lightning. The wind from his robes broke the silence of the back mountain as he sped toward the entrance of The Mine along the winding path.