Chapter 77

"Go take a look." Xie Xie didn't have time to banter with Tang Wulin and hurriedly ran over. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue followed behind.

"Guys, you can't do this, you can't do this! This is my livelihood." Even before they got close, the three of them could already hear the wailing, which was Uncle Li's voice.

Xie Xie was at the front, quickly pushing through the crowd.

In front of the Braised Beef in Clay Pot shop, the stove had been overturned, and the clay pots had fallen to the ground, shattering into pieces. Beef broth flowed across the ground, the rich aroma of meat rising with the steam, leaving a mess everywhere.

Uncle Li lay at the shop entrance, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, one eye swollen. His face was full of sorrow and anger.

At the shop entrance stood three burly men, the leader of whom was bald, with his arms bare despite the cold weather, adorned with dragon tattoos.

The other two were also tall and muscular, with fierce expressions that clearly indicated they were not good people.

"Li, a wise man knows when to yield. No one on this street dares to refuse to pay protection money. You've been making excuses all along. Do you think I'm a beggar? Do you think I come here every day to ask for small change? If it weren't for the fact that your braised beef is actually pretty good, I would have shut you down long ago. No more nonsense. If you can't pay up today, you won't be able to open your shop again." The bald man said with a cold gaze, though many people were gathered around, no one dared to speak up.

"Big Brother Guanglong, it's not that I don't want to pay the protection money. It's just that my wife is very sick, and I use all the money I earn from working day and night to pay for her medical treatment. You can't ruin my business! If you do, my wife won't survive, and neither will I."

Guanglong laughed, "Alright! Are you threatening me with your life? Do you think I care about your cheap life? If you're gone, someone else can take your place and still pay me protection money. If you can't pay, get lost, don't take up space."

As he spoke, he kicked the stove at the entrance, causing it to topple over, and the entire area in front of the shop became a mess.

Uncle Li wailed, "Guanglong, I'll fight you to the death." He struggled to get up and lunged at Guanglong with his head down.

Guanglong sneered, lifted his leg, and kicked him, sending him tumbling, "Fight to the death? You don't even have the qualifications to fight me. Don't forget, I'm a Soul Master."

"Can Soul Masters bully people?" A voice of anger rang out from the side. Tang Wulin and the others had just pushed through the crowd and saw this scene. Xie Xie quickly rushed to Uncle Li's side and helped him up, while Tang Wulin glared at Guanglong.

Guanglong was taken aback, but seeing it was just a child, he laughed arrogantly again, "Is there really no one left on this street? Even children dare to meddle in my affairs. You're really like a young bull that doesn't fear tigers. Get lost, I don't hit kids."

Tang Wulin, from a commoner's family, couldn't stand seeing the strong bully the weak. He took a big step forward, "How can you treat Uncle Li like this? Do you have any humanity?"

Guanglong snorted, "Can humanity be eaten? He has to support his wife, but don't I have to support my mother? There are rules, brat. Get lost, don't interfere with my business."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pushed Tang Wulin's shoulder.

Tang Wulin's eyes flashed, and he punched at Guanglong's hand.

With a "bang," Guanglong stumbled, but Tang Wulin was also taken aback. This guy could still control his body even when caught off guard, and his strength wasn't weak!

"Good kid, you've got some strength." He opened his large hand and this time grabbed at Tang Wulin's shoulder, his exposed arms bulging with muscles, his face fierce.

Tang Wulin's specialty wasn't his soul power but his strength. He raised his hand and punched.

Another dull sound, but this time, it was Tang Wulin who stepped back. He felt Guanglong's hand was like iron, incredibly strong. His usually unstoppable strength was at a disadvantage, and he was forced back two steps by the impact.

Guanglong was also surprised. He had used considerable force, but the strength from the boy's punch also shook him, preventing him from grabbing.

"Good kid, you've got some strength!" Guanglong took another step forward and reached for Tang Wulin again.

At this moment, blue silver grasses burst from Tang Wulin's right hand, instantly entangling Guanglong. Guanglong's feet felt weak, and he felt his feet sinking into the ground, unable to exert force. Then, a figure leaped into the air, legs hanging over his shoulders, a dagger directly pressing against his neck.

Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie had trained together for three months and had developed excellent teamwork. Seeing Tang Wulin at a disadvantage, Gu Yue and Xie Xie, who had helped Uncle Li up, joined in the attack.

Caught off guard, Guanglong was immediately pinned by the dagger at his throat.

The blue silver grass tightened, and Tang Wulin was confident in Xie Xie.

"Apologize to Uncle Li and compensate for the loss. Otherwise, I'll kill you!" Xie Xie's voice was icy cold, filled with anger at seeing the kind Uncle Li being bullied.

"Don't be impulsive, young man, let's talk this out." The other two burly men finally reacted. These thugs were good at assessing situations. If an adult had acted, they wouldn't have been too afraid, as few dared to kill in broad daylight. But children were more troublesome because they were young and could act impulsively without considering the consequences.

"There's nothing to talk about with people like you," Xie Xie said coldly, "Compensate Uncle Li for the loss and pay for his medical expenses, or I'll kill this bald guy."

Guanglong suddenly laughed, "Little guy, you're a Soul Master, right? Just one rank. I've been on this street for years. Do you think I could keep collecting protection money without any skills? Go ahead, I want to see how you'll kill me."

Xie Xie was taken aback. At his age, he couldn't fully understand the concept of not fearing death. When he threatened Mu Xi, Mu Xi had quickly given in.

Guanglong pressed the dagger down, but he really didn't dare to kill, and his hatred for Guanglong had made him a bit hot-headed.

However, as Guanglong pressed the dagger down, he suddenly felt that the bald man's neck was incredibly hard, and the dagger couldn't press through.

"Be careful!" Tang Wulin warned in time, and Gu Yue released a fireball that flew toward Guanglong's chest.

Guanglong's right fist struck upward, aiming at Xie Xie.

At the same time, two rings of light rose from his feet, clearly two soul rings, one white and one yellow. The skin exposed on his body turned iron gray, and his neck developed iron-gray scales.