Ch511 - Collecting Protection Fees

Four months later, Tianbao Town.

Liu Mufeng relied on the immortal crystals he had accumulated from selling pills to buy a shop in a relatively remote location. Because he didn’t have many immortal crystals in hand, the shop he bought was very small, with a small courtyard behind it. There were only four small rooms in the small courtyard. Fortunately, it could still accommodate their family even if they squeeze in a little bit.

The cloud shuttle consumed a lot of immortal crystals along the way, and now he spent a fortune on buying a shop. The immortal crystals that Liu Mufeng had raised previously were all gone. Fortunately, the shop was open, and everyone had this small shop so they had more or less income and could earn some immortal crystals every day while they cultivate.

Liu Mufeng was a wanted criminal and had been hiding in the backyard refining pills. Xiaoyuan also refined magic weapons during the day and was busy cultivating alone in her room at night. Jiang Xu, Xiaoxiao and Bai Yu had been taking care of the shop in front.

Liu Xuan and the five demon beasts had just transformed their spiritual sources into the Immortal Source, and they didn’t know much about some things in the Immortal Realm. Liu Mufeng didn’t worry about them going out to show off, so he let them cultivate in the backyard.

After Liu Xuan transformed his Immortal Source, he took the initiative to terminate the contract with the six demon beasts. Xiaoyuan, Jin Xiao and Xiaoxiao renewed their contract with Liu Mufeng. Bai Hu and Pangpang also re-entered into a contract with Jiang Xu. Xiaoyue also wanted to re-contract with Jiang Xu, but Jiang Xu didn’t agree. After all, Xiaoyue was different from before. He was his daughter-in-law, and he was a family even if he didn’t contract with him. Therefore, Jiang Xu didn’t re-contract with him and just let him take good care of Liu Xuan.

Although the location of Liu Mufeng’s pill shop was not very good,the fragrance of good wine was not afraid of the deep alley. Slowly, the pills opened up the market, and their business was getting better and better, along with the magic tools that Xiaoyuan placed in the shop, they also sold very well.

*****

Three years later, the once remote small shop was now bustling with people. Liu Mufeng’s Fengxu Pill Shop had become a famous shop in Tianbao Town. Not only were Liu Mufeng and his Son famous for their pills, but also the magic weapons refined by Xiaoyuan and the Golden Spirit Insects were also very famous.

Because the pill shop’s business was booming, the whole street had also become popular. The business of the Spiritual Plant shop and Talisman shop opened next to Liu Mufeng’s shop had also been boosted. People often had to queue up to buy things in the store.

It was not a bad thing to say that there were many people who were popular. In the past few years, the business on this street was sluggish and there were very few people coming to this place and would pay attention to it. But recently, the business on this street had been booming, and more and more people were paying attention to it. Along with this, the prices of the storefronts here had also skyrocketed.

Business in the shop was good. Jiang Xu, Xiaoxiao and Bai Yu were selling pills, and Bai Hu and Pangpang were selling magic weapons and tools. In the backyard, Liu Mufeng and his Son, Liu Xuan would refine pills, while Xiaoyuan took the Golden Spirit Insects to the bracelet dimension to refine magic weapons or tools. Jin Xiao and Xiaoyue were responsible for protecting the three of them.

Even though Liu Mufeng’s family was large, because the business was so good, every member of the family was busy every day. However, this kind of busyness paid off. In the past three years, Liu Mufeng and Jiang Xu had made a lot of immortal crystals relying on this shop.

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“That’s right, that’s right. Which of the cultivators living here has not been protected by the Town Lord?” Nodding, one of the losers hurriedly agreed.

“Let’s go and have a look.” With that said, the male cultivator led the two losers directly into the pill shop.

Seeing the person coming, Jiang Xu frowned. The bored expression on his face disappeared in a flash, replaced by a respectful look. He took two quick steps and immediately greeted the visitor.

“It turned out to be the Seventh Young Master. The Seventh Young Master came to my little shop. It really made my little shop shine.” After three years of being a shop owner, Jiang Xu’s fiery and impulsive temper had become much more restrained, and his behavior had improved, becoming more and more mellow and steady. On the one hand, there was his companion Liu Mufeng at home, who was always carefully reminding him. On the other hand, Jiang Xu also understood that Mufeng was now a wanted criminal and he had to keep a low profile and not be brash in public, so that Mufeng could be safer.

This Seventh Young Master was the Nephew of the Town Lord, named Fang Qi. He was a tyrant in Tianbao Town, bullying men, women, and dominating the market. It could be said that he could do any type of bullying. However, because he had an Uncle who was the Town Lord, so others naturally dared to be angry but dared not speak out against him and could only swallow their anger.

“Boss Jiang, your business is really good.” Fang Qi said with a smile as he looked at Jiang Xu.

“Seventh Young Master is over praising. It’s just a small business. The price of immortal plants is not cheap now and we still have to support the alchemist. We don’t make much, we just barely make a living.” Jiang Xu smiled, and immediately responded.

“Boss Jiang, you are too humble. I think your business is very good, so let’s increase the protection fee this month to 50,000 immortal crystals. What do you think?” Fang Qi asked as he smiled.

Jiang Xu frowned at these words. The business in this area was sluggish before, and the annual protection fee was only 5,000 immortal crystals. Last year it increased to 50,000 per year and Jiang Xu was very unhappy, but Mufeng said to endure, the strong dragon would not overwhelm the local leader. After all, it was someone else’s territory, and he had to give the Town Lord some face. However, this time the protection fee had been directly increased from 50,000 a year to 50,000 a month. Wasn’t this clear extortion?

“Young Master Qi, we are also a small business, and we really don’t have that many immortal crystals!” Jiang Xu said helplessly.

“Boss Jiang, don’t insult me. If you don’t pay the protection fee, I will have to take back your shop!” Fang Qi threatened coldly.

Jiang Xu’s hands clenched into fists unconsciously. There was a flash of cold murderous intent in his eyes as he thought in his heart:Fang Qi, this bastard, really knows how to push his luck! His appetite is really getting bigger and bigger!

“Boss!” Bai Yu called softly as he came over. “The Master said that you can’t fight in the store and affect the business!”

Hearing Bai Yu’s voice transmission, Jiang Xu twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled. Reluctantly, he took out 50,000 immortal crystals from his storage ring. “Then please, asking Young Master Qi to protect me from now on.”

“Hahaha, Boss Jiang is such a good person. Don’t worry, I will definitely protect your shop!” With that said, Fang Qi accepted the immortal crystals and left proudly.

Looking at the other person’s leaving figure, Jiang Xu’s face was strangely twisted. He thought in his heart:It’s true that the tiger fell down and was bullied by the dog. If a seventh-level cultivator like this dared to be so provocative in the Cultivation World, he would have killed him long ago.

In the evening, Jiang Xu closed the shop and the family sat together to have dinner.

“Why are you so upset today?” Liu Mufeng asked with a smile, looking at his sullen lover sitting next to him.

“That bastard Fang Qi had come to increase the protection fee again. It has already increased to 50,000 immortal crystals a month. There is no way to sell pills anymore. All the immortal crystals earned from selling pills have been given to him.” Speaking of this, Jiang Xu’s teeth itched with anger.

“50,000 a month? Didn’t you say 50,000 a year before? How did it become 50,000 a month?” Liu Xuan was also very angry. Why should Fang Qi leave with the immortal crystals they had earned with so much effort?

“That asshole, is he taking us for granted?” When he heard the protection fee of 50,000 immortal crystals a month, the six beasts were also very unhappy. There were many people in the family, and everyone still had to cultivate after earning immortal crystals. Besides, they need to buy immortal plants to make pills and materials to refine weapons. Neither of these was a costless transaction. The other party’s evil intentions were very clear, wasn’t it clear that there was no way for them to survive?

“A seventh-level cultivator dares to be so arrogant. Boss, why don’t I kill him and get our immortal crystals back!?” At this point, Jin Xiao narrowed his eyes. A pair of vertical pupils were filled with murderous intent.

“Fang Qi is just a seventh-level cultivator, so he doesn’t count. However, killing him might offend his Uncle.” Speaking of this, Liu Mufeng frowned.

“So what? His Uncle is just an eighth-level cultivator. With so many of us, can’t we kill an eighth-level cultivator?” Jin Xiao looked disdainful.

“Yes, we have been angry for three years. In the first year, our business was so bad, and he asked for a protection fee of 5,000 immortal crystals a year. In the second year, when our business improved, it went up to 50,000 a year. This year is even more excessive, 50,000 a month. If this continues, how will we do business?” Xiaoxiao was also very angry.

“We should really think of a way. Such a greedy person cannot be fed enough. This month he dares to ask for 50,000, and maybe next month he will dare to ask for 100,000 from us!” Uncle Bai also feels that blind tolerance was not the answer. .

“Uncle Bai is right, we are not invincible, there is no need to be afraid of the Fang family’s Uncles and Nephew.” Nodding, Xiaoyue said the same.

“You can definitely survive the fight, but we can’t stay here after the fight. Fang Qi’s Uncle Fang Wannian is the Town Lord of Tianbao Town, and he is also the Son of the Third Elder of Yutian Sect. So, the other party has backers. After we kill them, we have to leave the shop and leave Tianbao Town, otherwise, once we are caught by the Yutian Sect, we will be in big trouble.” Liu Mufeng said as he looked at the crowd.

The reason why Liu Mufeng tolerated Fang Qi for three years was not because he was afraid of Fang Qi or his Uncle, the Town Lord, but because he didn’t want to give up the comfortable life here. He just didn’t want to go on the run again.

“This…” After hearing Liu Mufeng’s words, everyone fell silent.

“The store is our lifeblood. We have worked hard for three years for this store. If there is no store, how will we earn immortal crystals?” Xiaoxiao said helplessly as she looked at the crowd.

“Living here and opening a shop is indeed a very comfortable lifestyle. But, Mufeng, I don’t think you want to be so comfortable for the rest of your life, right?” Looking at Liu Mufeng, Bai Hu asked with a smile.

“Yes, Boss, you can earn a lot of immortal crystals by opening a store, but we can’t just have immortal crystals. What we want is strength.” Nodding, Jin Xiao immediately agreed.

“Yes, yes, I also agree to go out and gain experience in this world.” Nodding, Xiaoyuan said the same.

Hearing what everyone said, Jiang Xu looked at his lover. “Mufeng, do you already have any ideas?”