Chapter Seventy-Four: The Quan Brothers

“What exactly is going on?” Yang Xiao asked with a trace of doubt, seeing how anxious Ling Yunmei appeared.

“It’s like this,” Bai Xue explained, her face troubled, “Another herbal shop in Lin Valley Village, the Quan Family Shop, is relying on their strength to try and forcibly buy out our store. My father is utterly helpless and is terribly worried about it.”

“What sort of strength do they possess?” Yang Xiao needed to find out before deciding whether to intervene. After all, if the opponents were too formidable, it would certainly be troublesome to deal with.

“That shop is run by the Quan brothers, both of whom are peak Spirit Sense cultivators. Two of them against my father alone—naturally their odds of success are high. What’s worse, they also possess a high-grade spirit artifact. There’s simply no way my father can oppose them. In this situation, he’s left with no choice but to compromise in the end,” Bai Xue said, unable to conceal her frustration.

“Peak Spirit Sense cultivators? That’s not too difficult a problem. Come, let’s go take a look.” Now that Yang Xiao knew their level, he was at ease. As long as they were Spirit Sense cultivators, he was confident he could handle them.

“Thank you, sir. If you help my father through this crisis, I am willing to serve you in any way to repay your great kindness,” Bai Xue said gratefully, starting to kneel.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll do my best,” Yang Xiao said, gently supporting Bai Xue. Seeing the beautiful woman before him looking so worn from worry over the shop stirred a feeling of tenderness within him.

Soon after, Yang Xiao and Bai Xue arrived at Bai Sheng’s shop. At that moment, Bai Sheng stood outside, preparing to sell his shop at a low price. He called out to passersby, “Ladies and gentlemen, our Bai Family Shop has been in business for over a decade, but now, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am forced to sell it at the low price of just one hundred thousand spirit stones. If anyone is interested, you can take over right away. This is an extraordinary bargain—just the spirit herbs and medicines in the shop are worth more than that. If you want it, please speak with me.”

Although Bai Sheng offered generous terms, not a single passerby was willing to buy. Some had been tempted by the price, but upon learning he was being forced to sell by the Quan brothers, no one dared become involved. Everyone in Lin Valley Village knew the Quan brothers were not to be trifled with. Offending them meant one’s future would be very difficult indeed.

Despite Bai Sheng’s repeated attempts, selling the shop proved nearly impossible.

“Father, why must you sell the shop? It’s the fruit of over ten years of your hard work!” Bai Xue hurried to persuade him when she saw him hawking the place.

“My daughter, I have no other choice. The Quan brothers keep pressing us, and the price they offer is pitiful. In this situation, I can only sell it off and find another place to open a new shop. After all, the Quan brothers are not people we can afford to offend.” Bai Sheng’s tone was helpless. “But now, everyone knows the Quan brothers are coveting our shop, so no one dares buy, and it’s making things very difficult.”

“Father, there’s no need to keep giving in to them. The more we yield, the more arrogant they’ll become, until no one in Lin Valley Village dares stand up to them. Why not fight back? If we take a stand, perhaps we can save our shop,” Bai Xue implored.

“Oppose the Quan brothers? It’s impossible. Their strength is overwhelming. If there’s a fight, we might end up with nothing. It’s safer to sell the shop now and avoid trouble,” Bai Sheng shook his head.

“They’re only two Spirit Sense cultivators. Now that I’ve invited Mr. Yang, the two of you together may well be able to stand against the Quan brothers,” Bai Xue insisted, confident in Yang Xiao’s abilities—she had been astonished by his prowess when he rescued her before, and believed he could resolve this crisis.

“Mr. Yang?” Bai Sheng glanced at Yang Xiao, then quickly shook his head again. “It’s not that simple. The Quan brothers are famous for a reason. To oppose them would be extremely risky. I don’t want to make things worse, or drag Mr. Yang into danger—that would trouble me greatly.”

“Does Uncle Bai have so little faith in me?” Yang Xiao said, addressing Bai Sheng respectfully as an equal to Bai Xue.

“It’s not that I doubt you, Mr. Yang. I just don’t want to invite more trouble. I can only thank you for your good intentions. Please, don’t try to persuade me further. I’ve made up my mind: I’ll sell the shop at a low price. If no one will buy it for one hundred thousand, I’ll lower it to ninety, or eighty thousand—at any rate, that’s still much better than what the Quan brothers are offering,” Bai Sheng insisted. He resumed calling out, lowering the price further, but still, no one dared buy. Clearly, the Quan brothers’ reputation was formidable—so much so that not a single cultivator in Lin Valley Village would risk offending them.

“Still no buyers?” Bai Sheng was starting to feel discouraged.

“In that case, Uncle Bai, since you wish to sell, I won’t try to stop you. I’ll buy the shop myself. Here are one hundred thousand spirit stones—please accept them,” Yang Xiao said, handing over the spirit stones.

“Mr. Yang, you want to buy the shop?” Bai Sheng was astonished.

“Why not? Since you’re set on selling, what difference does it make who the buyer is?” Yang Xiao replied.

“But the Quan brothers are not to be trifled with. If you buy the shop, you’ll be making enemies of them, and that will bring you trouble. I can’t let you put yourself in danger,” Bai Sheng said, refusing to take the spirit stones.

“Since you’re determined to sell, why shouldn’t I buy it? As for the trouble the Quan brothers may cause, that has nothing to do with you. Let them come for me if they wish—I would like to see for myself just how formidable they really are,” Yang Xiao replied with perfect composure.