"What? You took almost a million silver coins from us and still want compensation?!"
The head of the Xue family's veins bulged as he shouted, his arms trembling with rage.
Yang Qingxuan furrowed his brow and said, "A deal is a deal. What I gave back earlier was what you owed me. Now, we're talking about what you did to threaten me. Are you trying to deny it? If so, let's skip the discussion and go straight to the military department…"
"Alright, alright, let's talk," the elderly man with a long beard interrupted, immediately backing down when he heard the words "military department." "Be straightforward, tell me your price."
He thought to himself, I've lost today, but this won't be the end. Whatever I give today, I'll get back a hundredfold in the future. This kid has to be dealt with to get my revenge!
The three families had been deeply rooted in the capital for many years, and they had never suffered such a huge loss or humiliation.
The other two families had similar thoughts, grudgingly accepting the loss, thinking to find a way later to recover it.
Yang Qingxuan smiled faintly. "Since everyone is being straightforward, I won't beat around the bush. Each of your families needs to give me another million silver coins, and this matter will be considered forgotten."
"What?!"
The heads of the three families nearly spat blood, their eyes wide in disbelief. Xue Hao's face drained of color as he screamed, "Yang Qingxuan, you're going too far!"
A cold glint flashed in Yang Qingxuan's eyes as he stared at him, coldly replying, "Going too far? Have you forgotten the things you three have done in the past three years? If you three want to lose all face, then I'll be happy to help you. Face is precious, but usually, it's something you lose yourself."
Xue Hao was speechless, his face ashen, his spirit crushed. His heart was filled with emptiness and despair.
The elderly man with the long beard clenched his teeth and said, "We don't have that much money, but we can offer some items as compensation!"
Yang Qingxuan smiled. "I'm easy to talk to. As long as the items are worth something, I'm happy to accept."
After thinking for a moment, the long-bearded elder took out a jade vial. "This contains Qi-Refining Pills, each worth at least 100 silver coins."
The Qi-Refining Pills were the best pills for martial apprentices to enhance their energy, essentially a hard currency. They were worth around 100 silver coins each, but not a lot.
Yang Qingxuan shook his head. "This won't do. I don't want it."
The elderly man growled, "Didn't you say you were easy to talk to? As long as the items are worth something?"
Yang Qingxuan shot him a glare. "Does being easy to talk to mean I should let you all bully me? Tch, truly, the good are always bullied, and horses are always ridden."
The three families were momentarily stunned, realizing they had hit a wall. They wouldn't escape unscathed, and they might even lose more.
The head of the Zhou family asked, "What do you want, then? Weapons? Martial arts techniques? Pills? Treasures?"
Yang Qingxuan thought for a moment. "Do you have any body tempering pills?"
Everyone froze, exchanging awkward looks. Body-Tempering Pills were far less valuable than Qi-Refining Pills; they were mainly used for strengthening the body.
The head of the Zhou family paused for a moment, then took out a white jade gourd. "I have 9,000 Body-Tempering Pills, and with the gourd, it's worth about a million silver coins."
Yang Qingxuan's eyes lit up as he took the gourd, smiling. "Good, you've passed."
The head of the Zhou family snorted in displeasure but sighed in relief.
The elderly man with the long beard quickly said, "I have Body-Tempering Pills as well." He was about to retrieve them when Yang Qingxuan shook his head.
"That's enough," he said. "The body has resistance to the effects of medicine. After taking these 9,000 pills, any more would be useless to me."
The elderly man regretted not offering the Body-Tempering Pills earlier, but he didn't know what else this brat was trying to extort.
Yang Qingxuan's gaze fell on the space rings the others were wearing. "Then, how about you hand over some space treasures? A million silver coins should be enough to get a spatial ring with a radius of five zhang (approximately 16 feet), right?"
The elderly man immediately agreed. "Fine, I'll give you one."
He opened his hand, and a dark ring appeared, tossing it to Yang Qingxuan.
Although space rings were valuable, they were not rare. As long as you had the money, you could easily find them. The elderly man reluctantly threw it, but he sighed in relief at the same time.
Now, only the head of the Xue family remained, his face dark with fury. Yang Qingxuan toyed with the ring before turning his gaze to him, his eyes filled with amusement.
The head of the Xue family, his face ashen, said, "I have a Soulstone I can give you."
At this, a wave of shock rippled through the crowd, their eyes widening. Even Chen Ting was stunned for a moment, his eyes flashing with intrigue.
The elderly man with the long beard exclaimed, "Xue brother, did I hear you correctly? You want to give this brat a Soulstone?"
The head of the Zhou family quickly added, "How about you give me the Soulstone? I'll figure out how to scrape together a million silver coins."
The surrounding disciples whispered, clearly astonished.
Ignoring them, the head of the Xue family took out a piece of jade-like stone, smooth and translucent, shimmering with a soft glow.
Yang Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat. The moment the jade stone appeared, a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder. The seal placed by Yang Zhao had actually loosened!
The Soulstone had triggered the "World's Enemies" martial soul seal, and his left shoulder trembled under the pressure, slowly returning to calm.
He then focused his attention on the jade stone. It was crystal clear, smooth like water, and seemed to contain a powerful energy that made him feel at peace and comfortable just by looking at it.
"Tch! So it's a Dead Soulstone!"
Around him, disdainful voices echoed, dripping with sarcasm and disdain.
The head of the Zhou family also said, "Xue brother, you're joking, right? This is a Dead Soulstone."
Yang Qingxuan recalled his knowledge of Soulstones. These precious jade-like stones contained powerful soul energy and could nourish martial souls. They were rare, highly valuable, and could not be found on the market.
However, not all Soulstones were useful. Some contained energy that couldn't be extracted. If one tried to forcefully extract it, the stone would shatter and turn to dust. These were known as "Dead Soulstones," which had little value and could only be traded as ordinary gems.
And the one the head of the Xue family held was precisely this kind of Dead Soulstone.
With no change in expression, the head of the Xue family said, "Although this is a Dead Soulstone, it's a top-quality one. Its quality is so high that even after years of research, I haven't fully understood its potential."
Chen Ting sneered, "No matter how high the quality is, it's still a Dead Soulstone."
The head of the Xue family's face darkened slightly, and he quickly argued, "Even if it's a Dead Soulstone, this one's quality and appearance are exceptional. It's worth a lot as a gemstone trade."