Chapter 72: Asking for Some Medical Expenses

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Yun Tian had served as the Yun family’s steward for centuries before being promoted to elder at Gu You Sect, remaining unwaveringly loyal to the Yun clan. Acting under Yun Tianchen’s orders, he had recently led two men out of the valley to investigate, which by a twist of fate brought them into the same pit where Shen Wan and his companions were hiding.

Yun Yi, disguised as a boy, sat cross-legged with her back to them, immersed in the spiritual spring, so Yun Tian failed to recognize the Yun family’s little princess among the two below. As a result, he brusquely ordered them to leave.

Seeing three men in black suddenly appear overhead, Shen Wan, who had been pretending to climb down into the valley, seized the chance to scramble back up.

“Hey, we found this spot first! You three had better leave right now and I’ll let you off the hook,” Shen Wan retorted, returning the words the black-clad men had thrown at him, his chin held high, full of bravado.

Yun Tian raised an eyebrow, then gave a cold snort and struck out with his palm. How could a mere mortal, with no cultivation at all—not to mention how he got in—dare to act so arrogantly before him? Young fools fearing nothing? Nonsense.

A gust of force burst from Yun Tian’s palm—a Heartshatter Palm, a top-tier earth-level technique—though he used only a third of his strength. Even so, it was more than enough to obliterate this ignorant boy before him.

Shen Wan did not dodge; in truth, he couldn't. His opponent moved with astonishing speed. In a blink, Yun Tian was upon him, and with a loud smack, struck Shen Wan squarely in the chest.

Yun Tian curled his lip in disdain, ready to pull back his hand, for in his eyes, this boy was already a corpse.

The Heartshatter Palm, an earth-rank supreme technique, concentrated spiritual force into a single point and, catching an enemy unawares, drove it into their body—shattering their heart, splintering bone, tearing sinew, leaving corpses burst open and dead on the spot.

And yet... the expected outcome failed to materialize.

Yun Tian uttered a soft exclamation of surprise. The brat before him was utterly unharmed.

Shen Wan, a little perplexed, glanced at the spot where Yun Tian’s palm had pressed, feeling nothing more than a faint touch. His clothes were left with a few wrinkles, which he calmly dusted off.

Yun Tian’s brow furrowed; his mind reeled in confusion, though he stubbornly persisted: “Hmph! So, you have some skill after all, boy. In that case, I won’t show you any mercy.”

With that, his sleeve flared as another surge of force spiraled from his wrist, shredding the long sleeve to tatters. The force gathered in his palm, condensing into a ball of light crackling with threads of lightning, making the veins stand out along his arm.

“Heartshatter Palm, Fourth Form: Thundercloud Dominion!”

With a low incantation, he wasted no more words, unleashing his full strength, driving his palm once more at Shen Wan’s chest.

Again, Shen Wan did not dodge—this strike was even faster than the last.

Smack!

The second palm landed solidly.

Yun Tian channeled his spiritual force, unleashing it with the force of his strike—a double blow in a single motion. Let's see if this brat can survive now!

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Whew...

The wind at the mouth of the valley whistled, brushing coolly against their bodies.

Shen Wan rolled his eyes, glancing left and right, occasionally wiping his nose.

“I...” Yun Tian’s mouth fell slightly open; his mind buzzed, dazed and stupefied, his gaze filled with disbelief.

He had just delivered two full-force blows of spiritual power, yet the other’s chest only rippled faintly, then—like a mere puff of air—nothing happened.

So offhanded, so effortless?

“How... how is this possible? Did I train in some bogus technique all these years?” Yun Tian froze, his throat dry, a wave of defeat sweeping over him.

He recalled his master’s deathbed years ago: the eldest daughter betrothed to the eldest disciple, the second to the next. And to him, his master had bestowed the culmination of his life’s teachings—the Heartshatter Palm. That alone showed his place in his master’s heart.

But now, Yun Tian’s faith wavered—for his mind turned, inexplicably, to his sister-in-law...

Seeing that the short man in black had gone still, Shen Wan seized his wrist in a sudden grip. With a sharp twist, the sound of bones cracking echoed, and Yun Tian cried out in agony.

“Aaah! Stop, stop! Let go! Please!” he shrieked, slapping at Shen Wan’s arm in desperation.

Shen Wan, realizing he might have used too much force, flung Yun Tian aside, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The other two men in black hurried to help him up, eyeing Shen Wan with fear, not daring to approach.

Looking at his wrist, red and bruised, Yun Tian realized the terrifying truth: even without using any spiritual force, the youth had injured him—his cultivation must be fearsome indeed.

Clearly, he had misjudged.

With this in mind, Yun Tian scrambled up, utterly discarding his former arrogance. He hurried over and bowed deeply before Shen Wan.

“Forgive me, senior! I was blinded by greed and lost my senses, offending you unwittingly. I beg your pardon—please, spare this old fool!” he pleaded.

“Uh...” Yet another old man demoting himself before him—Shen Wan was at a loss. But this one was nothing like those back at home, so he showed no warmth.

With hands clasped behind his back, imitating the posture of a local grandmaster, he uttered a single, emotionless word:

“Leave.”

With that, he turned away, offering the elder only his back.

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That performance deserved a perfect score, even in his own estimation.

The old man, hearing this, felt as if he had received a royal pardon, his voice trembling with relief.

“Thank you, senior! Thank you!” he exclaimed, bowing repeatedly as he backed away, not turning until he had retreated a safe distance. Then, signaling to the other two, the trio prepared to flee.

Just then, Shen Wan seemed to recall something.

He had been slapped twice for no reason—well, on the chest, but still. Didn’t he deserve some compensation?

“Wait!” he called out.

The three men stiffened in fright, cold sweat trickling down their foreheads, and turned back in terror.

Shen Wan smacked his lips, giving an innocent, harmless smile as he spoke gently, “Leaving just like that—don’t you think...?”

As he spoke, he raised his hand, rubbing his fingers together meaningfully.

Yun Tian, old fox that he was, instantly understood. He hastily unfastened a storage pouch from his belt, bowing as he offered it up with both hands.

“Here, senior—one hundred thousand superior spirit stones, my entire savings. Please, take it.”

Shen Wan stifled a laugh, said nothing further, and took the pouch. Since he couldn’t open it anyway, he didn’t bother checking it on the spot, merely waved his hand impatiently. Only then did Yun Tian and his men turn and flee the pit as if escaping death itself.

Peace returned to the pit.

Weighing the pouch in his hand, Shen Wan felt satisfied—at least Da Tuanzi’s meals were secured for the foreseeable future. He tied it to his belt, which now sported two pouches; the other was filled with trinkets from the underground chamber.

He patted his stomach, feeling, at last, like a true magnate.

Now that all outsiders were gone, it was time to go back and keep up appearances.

He took a few steps forward to check on the two at the bottom of the pit—and instantly felt his scalp tingle.

The once plentiful spirit spring was almost depleted. The two were madly absorbing its essence, draining it dry in no time.

But that wasn’t what made Shen Wan’s skin crawl. No, what truly unsettled him was the sight of hundreds of black snakes, tongues flickering, advancing from all sides within ten meters of the pair.

In a flash, his previous air of otherworldly calm vanished. Shen Wan drew his Ten-Thousand-Demon Black Blade and leapt down.

“You two—wake the hell up! We’re under attack!”