Bullying the Weak with Strength

Fang Ning felt a secret delight in his heart, but his face remained expressionless as he continued speaking.

"I, Fang, am here to thank all of you for your great assistance. With all of us righteous cultivators working together in unison, I believe it won't be long before the heretical demons of the Corpse Demon Sect are completely annihilated."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, his tone shifted, becoming noticeably sharper.

"I hope all of you will diligently draw talismans. Each person must submit one hundred talismans every ten days."

As soon as these words fell, the expressions of the gathered talisman masters grew even uglier.

One hundred talismans every ten days meant ten talismans per day. To complete the Beast Taming Sect's assignment would take them two to three hours each day. This didn't even account for the mental energy and spiritual power consumed by the process, nor the time needed to regulate their breathing and recover.

Next, Fang Ning began distributing a token to each person. Those holding tokens were required to submit their talismans to the Beast Taming Sect's gathering place in the market every ten days.

Song Wen's apparent strength was low, and his talisman-drawing skills were deemed poor, so Fang Ning did not give him a token.

Just at that moment, two figures-one human and one beast-appeared in the air, flying toward the small courtyard.

It was none other than the exceptionally beautiful Kou Chang, riding her Azure Ox.

The Azure Ox quickly landed in the small courtyard. Kou Chang swayed her curvaceous figure, carrying a refreshingly fragrant scent as she walked toward Fang Ning.

A barely noticeable trace of disgust flashed through Fang Ning's eyes, disappearing in an instant.

He took two steps forward, bowed, and offered a salute.

"Fang Ning greets Senior Sister Kou Chang. May I ask why Senior Sister has come here?"

"I heard that Junior Brother Fang Ning has two hundred-year-old stalks of Dragon Pattern Grass. Coincidentally, I urgently need Dragon Pattern Grass right now and would like to borrow some from Junior Brother. I wonder if Junior Brother could part with them?"

Dragon Pattern Grass was a Tier 2 spirit medicine that could improve the bloodline of spirit beasts.

The corner of Fang Ning's mouth twitched involuntarily a few times, as if he were trying hard to conceal the deep dissatisfaction in his heart.

This Senior Sister Kou Chang, who looked like a heavenly fairy, was no pushover.

Relying on her celestial beauty, Kou Chang had ensnared many suitors within the Beast Taming Sect.

Her attitude toward these suitors was consistent: she neither rejected nor accepted them, but she gladly accepted all kinds of treasures they brought her without exception.

Over time, many disciples who had bankrupted themselves pursuing Kou Chang gradually saw her true face. However, due to her status as a direct disciple, her cultivation at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and the strength of her Tier 2 spirit beast Azure Ox, they could only swallow their grievances.

Fang Ning's self-restraint was quite good. Although unwilling and reluctant in his heart, he forced a smile onto his face.

"If Senior Sister needs Dragon Pattern Grass, I naturally must bring it out. Being able to help Senior Sister is my honor."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Fang Ning felt his heart bleeding.

Under the pretext of borrowing things, Kou Chang had cleverly seized treasures she fancied from fellow sect members on more than just one or two occasions.

She said she was borrowing, but she had never once been seen returning anything.

However, Kou Chang had bluntly stated that he possessed the Dragon Pattern Grass, clearly having prepared in advance. She dared to come here publicly to demand it, never intending to give him an opportunity to refuse.

If he dared to make her lose face in public, Kou Chang wouldn't even need to take action herself-her followers could make his life exceedingly difficult within the Beast Taming Sect.

Fang Ning was completely unaware that the stiff smile on his face at this moment was exactly the same as the expressions of the rogue cultivator talisman masters who had just been forced to agree to toil for the Beast Taming Sect.

Fang Ning reached into the Storage Bag at his waist, and a two-foot-long jade box appeared in his hand. Holding the jade box with both hands, he respectfully handed it to Kou Chang.

Kou Chang smiled brightly and accepted the jade box.

"Thank you, Junior Brother, for your generous help. I will return it to you as soon as possible."

Fang Ning's heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, but he had no choice but to pile a bright smile onto his face and exchange a few polite words with Kou Chang.

Kou Chang's appearance attracted the gazes of many talisman masters, especially old lechers like Ai Kun, who stared without blinking. Opportunities to get this close to Fairy Kou Chang were rare.

Song Wen's gaze, however, fell on the Azure Ox beside her, which kept kicking its hooves.

This Azure Ox truly lived up to having a trace of the divine beast Kui Ox's bloodline. Even after landing, its four hooves were still wrapped in white clouds, as if it were constantly stepping on mist without ever touching the solid ground.

Electric arcs flashed within those white clouds, and silver light occasionally flowed across its skin-truly mysterious and extraordinary.

A moment later, Kou Chang rode her Azure Ox and drifted away, leaving only a courtyard filled with her lingering fragrance.

The talisman masters also left the restaurant, each going their separate ways.

Song Wen prepared to return to his residence alongside Ai Kun.

He had suffered no losses on this trip and had even gleaned some talisman-making insights, so his mood was still quite good.

He had originally thought Ai Kun would be somewhat melancholy, but who would have expected this little old man to excitedly head toward the pleasure quarters the moment he left the restaurant.

As he walked, he said to Song Wen:

"You head back on your own. I'm in a hurry. If I'm late, I'm afraid the image of the fairy in my mind won't be clear anymore!"

Seeing Ai Kun's impatient and lecherous appearance, Song Wen shook his head.

This old man was decent in every other way-a warm-hearted person who had taken care of him-but he was hopelessly obsessed with lust. Song Wen truly feared he might one day die on a woman's belly.

Back when Song Wen first arrived at Donghua Market and rented the small courtyard, the first person to actively greet him was Ai Kun.

Upon learning that Song Wen was also a talisman master, Ai Kun had become even more enthusiastic, actively introducing Song Wen to the shops selling talisman materials in the market and the rogue cultivators setting up stalls. He had also informed Song Wen about the standard prices for purchasing talismans, saving him a significant amount of time.

Accustomed to the cold and ruthless attitude of demonic cultivators, facing a warm-hearted person like Ai Kun had initially made Song Wen somewhat uncomfortable.

Over time, upon discovering that this old man held no ill intentions, Song Wen gradually lowered his guard.

When Song Wen was almost at his doorstep, he noticed many neighbors gathered in front of the small courtyard on the right. From within the crowd came the intermittent weeping and pleading of a woman.

To the left of Song Wen's small courtyard lived Sun Daxiong's family; to the right lived a widow and orphan. It was said her husband had been an outer disciple of the Beast Taming Sect who had perished three months ago in the war between the orthodox and demonic sects.

Song Wen walked to the front of his small courtyard, preparing to push the door open and enter, but saw a pretty figure standing on the stone steps in front of the door, peering into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Song Wen asked in a low voice.

Sun Ru didn't turn her head, her eyes still fixed on a middle-aged male cultivator with a fierce expression standing at the center of the crowd.

"Aunt Zhu can't pay the rent, and Zhao Dapeng wants to drive her and her son away," Sun Ru said indignantly.

It was no wonder Sun Ru was taking up the cause for the widow and orphan next door. After Zhu Mei's husband died, the Beast Taming Sect had promised that the mother and son could continue living in this small courtyard until the child reached adulthood.

Who would have thought that after only three months had passed, the street steward, Zhao Dapeng, would use the excuse of unpaid rent to forcibly drive the mother and son away.

"Zhu Mei, if by noon tomorrow you still can't produce the Spirit Stones and refuse to move out, don't blame me, Zhao Dapeng, for ignoring our years of neighborly ties and forcibly throwing you and your son out!"

Zhao Dapeng harshly reprimanded.

"You can't drive us away. When Senior Xu Feng came to deliver the obituary notice, he said that according to the Beast Taming Sect's regulations, since my husband died fighting for the Sect, my son and I can live here as compensation until my son reaches adulthood. My son is only ten years old this year; we can still live here for six more years!"

"Whoever told you that, go find them."

Zhu Mei wanted to use the Beast Taming Sect's rules and Xu Feng's name to pressure Zhao Dapeng, but Zhao Dapeng remained completely unmoved, acting tyrannical and unreasonable.

Find Xu Feng?

Easier said than done.

Zhu Mei was merely a third-layer Qi Refining Rogue Cultivator. Finding this Xu Feng person within the Beast Taming Sect with nothing but a name was incredibly difficult.

She probably couldn't even step through the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gates.

If forcibly driven away, as a widow with a child, and with her low strength and a son who hadn't yet begun cultivation, where could they possibly go?

Her husband's death compensation was a mere fifty Spirit Stones. Even if they moved to the thatched huts in the western part of the market, without eating or drinking, it would only be enough to cover rent for two years.

Should they leave Donghua Market entirely? Try to survive in the mortal world?

But could a weak widow and an orphan even survive the treacherous journey to the mortal lands?

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