Chapter 1044 - Starting a Feud

“Master, I’ve finished collecting their tuition.”

After circling around to all the Axe Gang Members, Wu Di’s hands were filled with spatial pouches and even a few spatial rings.

It didn’t matter whether they offered them willingly or simply for terror of Ye Zichen’s despotic might.

Everyone with an axe emblem on their chest, Zhao Ye included, obediently handed over their savings.

“Let me see.”

Ye Zichen accepted the rings and pouches. Quite a few had soul marks on the inside. Zhao Ye’s ring was among the marked.

Just now, he’d handed over the savings he’d accumulated over more than half his lifetime. How could he possibly offer them to Ye Zichen willingly? As he handed Wu Di his ring, he’d intentionally left behind traces of his mind's eye and placed a soul mark inside. Once he returned to the gang, so long as he could convince the gang leader to help, he could use the spirit mark to locate Ye Zichen with little to no effort.

But how could such a petty trick escape Ye Zichen’s notice? He completely erased all the soul marks from the spatial treasures.

Several of them immediately hacked up fresh blood. Their souls had been injured.

Blood leaked from the corners of dark-faced Zhao Ye’s mouth, but he paid his wounds no heed.

“You’re seeking death!” he shouted. He’d long since lost his earlier calm indifference. His eyes were totally bloodshot. Following the sudden rush of blood, his pitch-black skin took on a reddish-purple hue.

Between his bloodshot eyes and undisguisable fury, it seemed he wanted a fight to the death.

Ye Zichen picked his ears and frowned in displeasure.

“My dear apprentice, make them settle down. They’re shouting so loudly, they’re going to burst my eardrums.”

“Yes, sir!”

Wu Di stepped back and cupped his fists, then, brows furrowed, walked up to Zhao Ye.

“You’d better think this over carefully, you little beast. I’m…..”

Before Zhao Ye could even finish his threat, he felt a stinging pain on the left side of his face; he’d been slapped! The blow was so forceful, even his ears were ringing.

He really had used a bit too much much force. The recoil stung Wu DI’s hands, turning them bright red.

He shook his hand, then snorted sharply,

“Pipe down. Didn’t you hear Master say you were about to pop his eardrums? And now you’re threatening me? Don’t you know your current status? If not for my master’s kindness, you would have long since been beaten into a bloody pulp and fed to stray dogs.”

This was actually Wu Di’s true nature. It was just that because of his sensitive status, he’d taken on his earlier persona in order to preserve his life.

After becoming Ye Zichen’s apprentice and repeatedly breaking through, he’d rebuilt his confidence. Moreover, spending all that time by Ye Zichen’s side meant he’d learned quite a bit about smack-talking.

Zhao Ye was infuriated. He glowered intently at Wu Di, but to his surprise…..

Whap!

He felt yet another backhanded slap against his face. Wu Di glared right back at him without even the slightest hint of terror.

“Glaring at me? You think glaring will be of any use? You don’t think I’lI pluck out your eyes if you keep that up? It’ll be fun to see how they sound when I smash them to a pulp.”

Ye Zichen watched Wu Di’s viciousness in astonishment. He’d never seen this side of his apprentice before.

But this was even better. It would save him the trouble of teaching his disciple to talk like this down the line.

The more he looked at his apprentice, the more pleased he felt.

Ye Zichen nodded and smiled in satisfaction, then cast his immortal awareness into Zhao Ye’s spatial ring. When he saw the riches contained within, he instinctively gasped.

No wonder Zhao Ye was so agitated…...

Nevermind the other stuff: even if he only counted spirit stones, there were at least a million of them. On top of that, there were countless pills, talismans, and artifacts. Although the other rings and pouches weren’t quite as terrifying, if you added them up….

There were worth several million spirit coins at least!

Robbing others really was the fastest way to earn money here!

Wu Di had told him that, barring unusually good fortune, going to unexplored territories in search of treasures would usually only net you a few hundred spirit coins per trip.

If he'd tried earning this much money just by exploring, just how long would it have taken?

Ye Zichen inwardly sighed with emotion. At the same time, he glanced at Scarface and Zhao Ye. He was so moved, his eyes welled with tears.

What great people!

After the second slap, Zhao Ye could no longer repress the rage burning in his chest.

Just how high was his status? He was the highest-ranked captain of Raging Flame City, second only to the base leader; he towered above all others. Nevermind that other Axe gang members had to respectfully greet him as “sir” whenever they saw him, even the heads of Raging Flame City’s family clans had to treat him with cautious respect.

Since the day the Axe Gang was first established, they’d only ever robbed and beaten other people.

But now he’d been robbed by someone else. They’d even beaten him up. If it were just Ye Zichen hitting him, he might have been able to tolerate it. He was weaker; he had no one to blame but himself for that. However, now that little beast Wu Di dared hit him as well……

He’d even slapped him! Twice!

“Little beast, you’re seeking death!”

His peak entering-immortality strength surged out of his body with a bang. He naturally didn’t dare kill Wu Di, but he could use his cultivation as proof that he’d reached the peak of entering immortality and still had some dignity.

However, the instant his aura expanded, he felt another aura billow outward as well. It wasn’t even the slightest bit weaker than his!

Wu Di.

It was actually Wu DI. “If you’ve got balls, say that one more time! See if I don’t send you straight to River Styx!”

Instantly, Zhao Ye felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head.

Although Ye Zichen had injured his soul, he was still currently able to access strength equivalent to mid-stage entering immortality at the very least. Wu Di’s strength was identical to his. Didn’t that mean he was also…..

How was that possible!?

If he really had such dazzling talent, why on earth would the Wu Family send him to Black Ox Town? Didn’t the Wu Family want to advance to the Profound Great District?

Shocked, Zhao Ye’s gaze landed directly on Scarface.

Scarface sensed his gaze and realized that Zhao Ye now carried a grudge against him. Even so, he currently had no choice but to suffer in silence.

Just half a month ago, Wu Di wasn’t even a peak spiritual body cultivator. To think he’d become so strong in just the two weeks Scarface was gone…...

A famous saying went, “a scholar who’s been away for three days must be looked at with fresh eyes.” Was that what was happening here?

Right now, he didn’t dare say anything. All he could do was lower his head and hide his bitterness.

Ye Zichen, who had been quietly enjoying the spectacle, walked up and patted Wu Di on the shoulder. “That’s enough, my dear apprentice. Don’t threaten them anymore. We are law-abiding citizens and possibly indulge in wanton slaughter of innocents. Besides, they gave us such a splendid present! How about you give me face and spare them just this once?”

Wu Di said all that, but he was just putting on an act. If he actually killed Zhao Ye, it might cause unnecessary trouble for his master.

Ye Zichen had just given him the perfect opportunity to back down, so he took it and snorted, “for my master’s sake, I’ll spare your filthy lives. In the future, whatever you do, don't let me run into you again, or else I’ll break your damn legs.”

Ye Zichen was just far too pleased with this apprentice of his. He reached out and patted Wu Di on the head. Then his smile faded as he turned to Zhao Ye and the other axe gang members. “You’d best hurry up and leave! This apprentice of mine doesn’t listen to a thing I say. It won’t be my fault if he goes back on his word!”

Zhao Ye bitterly gnashed his teeth, glowered once more at Ye Zichen and Wu Di, then snorted, “I, Zhao Ye, will remember this grudge.”