Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 97 He robbed me of an ounce in the street

Ye Xiao didn't move, didn't make way, and didn't even look at the person in the short jacket.

He glanced down at the medicine packet in the child's arms, his tone as flat as if asking for directions: "Whose medicine is this?"

The child's lips trembled, but he still managed to say through biting his lip, "My mother—she, she's going to stop taking her medicine."

The man in the short jacket scoffed, "Fine, I'll stop! Who paid for the medicine? We did! If you don't pay back today, the medicine will stop!"

'

As he spoke, he reached out to grab the medicine packet.

Before his fingertips even touched the corner of the paper, Ye Xiao raised his arm.

The movement was small, like casually blocking the wind, yet it firmly intercepted that hand outside.

The man in the short jacket froze, his smile instantly turning cold. He dared not extend his hand any further, only making a weak gesture through Ye Xiao's arm shadow, still uttering harsh words: "If you can't pay, leave your fingerprint. A three-year contract will settle this debt. If you do, we'll leave immediately; if not, the medicine is ours."

He tilted his head to look at the child, his voice low but venomous: "Think carefully yourself, do you want your mother to suffer a few more breaths?"

The child's face was deathly pale, and his hands, clutching the medicine bag, were trembling violently.

"I won't sign—" His voice trembled, but he spoke with unwavering resolve. "If I sign, I can never go back. My mother can't be left without someone to take care of her."

The man with the short stick grew impatient and flicked the end of the stick: "Not signing? Hand over the medicine! We're not a charity!"

The child shrank back suddenly, protecting the medicine bag as if it were his own life, almost shrinking into Ye Xiao's shadow.

People around stopped, but no one dared to speak.

Not everyone can afford to mess with gang members, especially since this kind of "medicine money for indenture" scheme usually only exists in the back alleys. Once someone escapes, they have to act ruthlessly immediately.

The people in the inner city didn't not want to help; they just didn't dare to get involved, nor were they willing to.

Ye Xiao suddenly spoke, his tone still calm: "You're not from the Green Owl Gang, are you?"

A flicker of wariness crossed the man's eyes, then he raised his chin: "We're from the Scorpion Gang."

He laughed even more savagely: "You're asking this to stand up for him? Don't blame me for not warning you, our gang leader and Master Shi of the Green Owl Gang are in cahoots!"

Ye Xiao nodded: "Understood."

He reached out and gently pulled the child behind him.

The child stood up, but his back was still trembling.

The man with the short stick frowned and raised his stick to push Ye Xiao away.

The stick hadn't even fallen yet.

Ye Xiao raised his hand and snapped his fingers together.

"Click."

It wasn't the wood making that sound; it was the cracking sound of misaligned joints.

The short stick clattered to the ground. The man froze for a moment, his face turning deathly pale before he screamed, "Ah!"

The moment the shout escaped, Ye Xiao pressed down on his shoulder, his fingertips sinking into the ground.

His knees buckled first, and he knelt down with a thud.

His knee slammed against the stone slab with a dull, aching sound, and the pain shot from his wrist all the way to his chest. His howl was abruptly cut off, leaving only a series of suffocating hiss in his throat. Tears welled up on the spot, and his face turned ashen.

The man in the short jacket's eyes changed, and he instinctively took two steps back, still stubbornly saying, "You dare touch us? You really don't..."

Ye Xiao looked up and his gaze fell on his mouth.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and the second half of his sentence choked him, unable to come out no matter what he did.

Ye Xiao asked indifferently, "How much is the medicine?"

The man in the short jacket gritted his teeth: "One tael in total."

Ye Xiao's voice remained calm: "One tael of medicine money in exchange for a three-year indenture. You've really got a clever plan."

The man in the short jacket, his face ashen, forced out a sentence: "We didn't force him; he agreed to it all himself."

Ye Xiao smiled faintly: "It's good that you follow the rules."

With a flick of his wrist, the silver coin traced an arc, landed on the bluestone with a "clink," and rolled to the feet of the man in the short jacket.

"One tael, take it." Ye Xiao's voice was not loud.

The man in the short jacket's eyes lit up for a moment, then he became wary, but still bent down and picked up the silver.

Once he had the silver in his hand, Ye Xiao finished his sentence: "Since you picked it up, consider it as if you snatched it from me."

The man in the short jacket's expression changed: "You—"

Ye Xiao didn't give him a chance to finish speaking. His gaze fell on Ye Xiao's knuckles, and he said calmly, "Go back and tell your gang leader that if you steal my money, you'll have to bear my wrath."

The man in the short jacket gritted his teeth, his anger palpable, but his companion remained kneeling beside him, his wrist twisted, barely daring to breathe. No matter how fierce he was, he could only swallow his anger and force out the question: "Who exactly are you?"

Ye Xiao didn't answer, but simply raised his hand to lift the medicine bag in the child's arms, reminding him not to drop it.

The man in the short jacket glanced around, his expression shifting between light and shadow, before finally spitting out through gritted teeth, "Let's go!"

He dragged his companion into the crowd, his steps quickening, but a chill ran down his spine for no apparent reason.

The street quickly came back to life, with vendors hawking their wares as usual, but people around the area avoided the spot, no one daring to give it a second glance.

The child was still standing behind Ye Xiao, clutching the medicine bag, trembling as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

Ye Xiao lowered his head: "Where is my home?"

"The alleyway where the mute resides, near the border." The child's throat tightened. "My mother is still waiting for her medicine—"

Ye Xiao nodded, his tone calm: "Go back. They won't come again. If your mother isn't better, you can come to Xingchen Hall to find me."

The child's eyes were red and glistening as he nodded vigorously, "I understand!"

After saying that, he turned and ran with the medicine bag in his hand, as if afraid that if he was even a step too slow, something would happen to his mother.

Ye Xiao glanced at him and then turned to head towards the Star Hall.

Saving people was just something I did on a whim.

It was also something he couldn't stand.

Back at the Star Hall, everything was as orderly as ever.

Ye Xiao entered the room, but didn't touch the tea. He only called for Ma Wu.

Ma Wu has now also become a gray-sleeved figure, standing even straighter than before, with a suppressed intensity in his eyes.

Ye Xiao spoke calmly: "Not long ago, a Scorpion Gang robbed me of an ounce of silver in the street."

He raised his eyes, his tone not harsh, but cold: "Take your men over there and expose their usual loan sharking, forcing people into prostitution..."

Those whose hands have been stained with blood, are now clean.

"Leave no one alive, we'll move tonight."

He paused, then added one last sentence: "Those who haven't done anything wrong, keep them alive so that Master Shi will have some to question."

"Yes!" Ma Wu replied respectfully and immediately withdrew.

Ye Xiao looked at the wild wolf in front of him and said, "Prepare the carriage, let's leave the city immediately."

"Still park in the same spot. This time you don't need to wait for me, just drive straight back to the city to assist Yan Quan."

The wolf bowed its head: "Yes."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage was ready.

Before getting into the car, Ye Xiao lowered his straw hat, covered the lower half of his face with a thin veil, and changed his clothes.

With a flick of its long whip, the wolf's wheels rolled over the bluestone, unhurried and deliberate. The city lights receded, and the clamor of the inner city was cast into a thin line, stretching further and further away.

The carriage was very quiet.

Ye Xiao leaned against the wall of the room, his fingertips gently stroking the cuff of his sleeve. The black paper was so thin it felt weightless.

As the carriage exited the north gate, the wind immediately picked up, stinging the face like the back of a knife. Instead of heading towards the main road, the carriage circled the outer dirt road, proceeding at a slow pace. Wild grasses rose up along the roadside, and the wheels crunched over the gravel, making a clattering sound, as if slowly crushing the shadows of the city wall behind them.

More than half an hour later, the ground began to sink.

"Here," Wild Wolf said in a low voice.

Ye Xiao lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. The brim of his bamboo hat obscured his eyebrows and eyes, and his veil clung to his chin. Even the fierce wind only lashed against his outer garment. He didn't say much, only nodded to Huang Lang, and turned to disappear into the night.

The further you go, the colder it gets.

It was cold and damp, as if moisture clung to the skin and seeped into the bones. The ground was gravel, making a crisp sound as I stepped on it, before being swallowed by the darkness.

The collapsed mine trench ahead looked like a black mouth, splitting open in the ground.

A rope was strung outside the ditch, and a wooden sign was hung upright.

No entry.

The smaller print below was even more ruthless. The seal was affixed to the side, and the official seal was clearly visible, making one's heart feel heavy.

Ye Xiao didn't rush to get closer. He stopped in the shadows, scanned the people guarding outside the rope with his own light, and then moved to the rocky ridge further away.

really.

Two dark figures lay motionless among the rocks, like two crows lying in ambush.

He didn't waste any time and headed straight for the cordoned-off area.

As soon as they approached, the two town guards outside the rope simultaneously looked up, their gazes sharp as nails.

A powerful surge of blood and qi pressed down!

This isn't just scary; it's about being ready to strike at any moment and knock someone down instantly.