Chapter 62: Road Dominator

  Thirty miles east of Red Leaf City, there is a mountain called Eight Pan Mountain. Behind the Eight Pan Mountain lies Double Head Ridge. In the middle of Double Head Ridge lies an abyss thousands of feet deep. An iron chain bridge spans across Double Head Ridge and it's the only path here. After crossing Double Head Ridge, you'll reach the famous Yunshui Ze.

  This world is filled with spiritual energy, but the spiritual energy is not evenly distributed. Some places are dense and some are thin. If a place with dense spiritual energy is not occupied by a major sect or a large family, it will become a truly evil land.

  People can become stronger and more robust under the nourishment of spiritual energy, many animals and plants are the same, as time goes by, they mutually restrain and grow each other, gradually growing up, among which a few lucky ones will become the masters of their surroundings.

  It is said that they are particularly powerful, with abilities far surpassing those of human masters.

  Su Tang wanted to go to Pengshan, the Black Forest near his hometown, and Yunshui Ze, all of which were places with particularly dense spiritual energy. However, Pengshan had long been occupied by humans, while the Black Forest and Yunshui Ze remained a paradise for wild beasts.

  Xiǎo Rú sat on this side of the iron chain bridge, which seemed to have been renovated recently, still emitting a faint smell of paint, and the wooden planks were also newly replaced.

  "Xiao San, is this okay?" Xi Xiao Ru was somewhat uncertain. As the notorious leader of Hong Ye City, she felt that Su Tang had gone too far. Compared to him, the things she used to do in Hong Ye City were child's play.

  "Don't worry." Su Tang flashed a sly smile.

  Just then, a small team of over ten wandering warriors stepped onto the iron chain bridge from the other end. Seeing Xiǎo Rú's voice from afar, they looked particularly surprised and stopped in their tracks, seemingly not daring to come closer.

  However, Yun Shui Ze was on this side, and they would eventually have to go to Yun Shui Ze for their task. After hesitating for half a day, they still came over with humility.

  The middle-aged warrior at the front smiled and said, "I've seen the master of the house."

  "Hmm..." Xiǎo Rú nodded slightly with a hint of arrogance.

  "What's going on here?"

  "I heard that the iron chain bridge was cut off by someone, so I brought a few brothers over and it took a lot of effort to repair the iron chain. Alas...it's really not easy."

  The middle-aged warrior who led the way looked at the iron chain and didn't believe Xiǎo Rú's nonsense. This iron chain was as thick as a child's arm, and it was cast from heavy iron. It wasn't easy to destroy the iron chain. Besides, what's the point of destroying the bridge after eating one's fill?

  However, he was suspicious and didn't dare to speak recklessly. He smiled and said: "This is a great merit, it's all thanks to the master of the house, if it were someone else, they wouldn't have your magnanimity and courage. I represent my brothers in thanking you here."

  "Alright, alright..." Xi Xiao Ru said with a smiling face.

  The middle-aged warrior who led the way turned his head and winked, then said: "That... master of the house, we'll just... go past?"

  "Wait." Xiǎo Rú suddenly said.

  "Is there anything else for the master of the house?"

  "My brothers and I went through great difficulties to repair the bridge, you think a simple 'thank you' can get you off the hook?" Xi Xiao Ru furrowed her brow.

  "I understand, I understand." The middle-aged warrior who led them nodded and bowed, then reached into his bosom.

  "You people... I won't charge much, just 1,000 gold coins." said Xiǎo Rú.

  "What? How much?" The middle-aged warrior who led them shouted in astonishment.

  "One thousand." Xiǎo Rú stretched out one finger.

  The middle-aged warrior who led the way was speechless. These dozen or so people, after a month of hard work and facing all sorts of dangers, could only earn around 500 to 600 gold coins. If someone were to get injured or die, their earnings would be greatly reduced. Adding on the cost of each person's cultivation, they were left with almost nothing. And now, they had to pay 1,000 gold coins to cross the bridge - it was as if they were being asked for their lives.

  "Hey, big boss, can't you... give us a little less?" The middle-aged warrior who led the group said with a wry smile.

  "It can't be less, it's already very cheap." Xi Xiao Ru frowned and said: "If you don't have money, then go back, don't make things difficult for me."

  The middle-aged warrior who led the way wanted to say something, but didn't dare to, and walked back gloomily, gathering with his brothers on the other side of the bridge, whispering about something.

  One after another, teams of wandering warriors arrived, but none succeeded. Who would be willing to spend this amount of money? To know that the reward for completing the task was only a few hundred gold coins, it wasn't even worth going.

  An hour later, the other end of the bridge was crowded with blocked wandering warriors, almost three or four hundred people, who were discussing ways to solve the problem, but all were at a loss.

  "Xiao San, do you think they'll just rush over?!" Zhou Qian asked excitedly.

  "Heh heh...... I've been waiting! Xue Xiao Ru clenched her fists and rubbed her palms together, this is the real deal!"

  "It won't happen." Su Tang shook his head, now Xiǎo Rú was just a road tyrant and hadn't threatened the personal safety of those wandering warriors, so it was absolutely impossible to lose control.

  "Xiao San, what if they go back to Hongye City and bring over the one with the surname Ruan?" Lu Feixia said: "This iron chain bridge has never been broken before, it will be found out as soon as it's investigated."

  "What's the big deal? They dare to say that the bridge has never been broken, brother, you just cut off the bridge on the spot!" Su Tang said: "Tell them, when we came, the bridge was like this."

  "No problem." Xi Xiao Ru nodded and said.

  "What if... they actually fix the bridge?"

  "Then let's cut it off again and see who can fix the bridge easily, them or us." Su Tang said: "Don't worry, just do as I say. The surname Ruan will not last a few days and will definitely come to us with his head bowed. These wandering warriors know that talking reason with us is useless, they can only go back and put pressure on the surname Ruan, let him come and talk to us."

  "Xiao San, I've discovered your secret, you're so naughty!" Xiǎo Rú said.

  "It's all generalities." Su Tang smiled.

  At this time, a young warrior in his early twenties walked over slowly. Thanks to his keen senses, Su Tang was always able to make an initial judgment about a stranger at the first moment. The young warrior's pace was very steady, with a kind of inner demeanor.

  "Sir, I'm alone, can I pay less?" The young man asked with a hint of confidence.

  "No way." Xiǎo Rú resolutely refused: "One person is also a thousand."

  The young man revealed a bitter smile, slowly turned around and walked back.

  "Slow down." Su Tang said.

  The young man was taken aback and turned his head towards Su Tang.

  Su Tang whispered to Xi Xiao Ru's ear, "Brother, we have over ten people and want one thousand each, but he is alone and also wants one thousand. It doesn't seem quite fair. Moreover, I think that young man has good breeding, and his family background seems not simple."

  "What's it to you?" Xiǎo Rú asked suspiciously, when it came to family background, the whole of Red Leaf City couldn't compare with hers, so she really didn't put that young man's origins in her heart, no matter who, anyone who wanted to cross the bridge had to pay.

  "Take a look at those people gathered on the other side of the bridge, whispering to each other. Don't they seem like they're in cahoots with everyone?" Su Tang said.

  Xiǎo Rú glanced over at the bridge and nodded slightly.

  "They're all nobodies, only daring to venture into Yunshui Ze in groups, while that kid is alone and should be top-notch in both courage and strength." Su Tang said: "True strongmen can only be born from people like this. Big brother, we should make friends with him, anyway, it's not bad for us either."

  "How to end good karma?"

  "First, praise him a few sentences, receive 100 gold coins from him, then give him a 50% discount, 50 is enough. If he pays the money very readily, it proves that his task difficulty is high and the income is also high, so he doesn't care about 50 gold coins. In this case, you can simply waive his payment and say today's first business just opened, give him special treatment."

  "Really..." Xiǎo Rú thought for a moment: "This young master, you're so handsome and elegant, with an extraordinary air about you..." Before she could finish speaking, Xiǎo Rú couldn't continue, turning her head to glare at Sū Táng with annoyance. This was the first time she had ever praised someone like this, let alone a man, and she felt her scalp tingling.

  The young man was stunned and stuttered, unsure of how to respond.

  "Alright, one should collect a hundred gold coins. I'll give you a 50% discount, fifty gold coins." said Xiǎo Rú.

  The young man let out a sigh of relief. Fifty gold coins was an amount he could afford to lose. He quickly took out a gold note and handed it to Xiǎo Rú.

  "Never mind, I just opened for business today and you're my first customer, so it's on the house." Xiǎo Rú waved her hand: "You can go now."

  "Thank you, Master." The young man bowed to Xi Xiao Ru and then glanced at Su Tang again. He had a number in his mind and was sure that it was because of something Su Tang said that Xi's sister treated him with extra care.

  The people following the young man couldn't help but cry and laugh, what kind of business is this? Occupying the bridgehead to extort money, what kind of business is this? However, they also knew that the dignified Hei Xiaojie would absolutely not be short of money to spend, so she must be looking for someone's trouble, and these wandering warriors were just implicated.

  Upon hearing that the single crossing was very cheap, another warrior quickly stepped forward. Su Tang stuck to Xiǎo Rú's ear again: "Today, let's just halve it, all for fifty."

  Soon, more than a dozen warriors paid their money and crossed the bridge, while Xiǎo Rú was laughing and did not understand Su Táng's true intention.

  Powerful wandering warriors usually take on high-risk, high-reward tasks. If they must be stopped, resentment will be great. Hand over some money and who would harbor a grudge over fifty gold coins?

  Su Tang did it for Xi Xiao Ru's sake, so he eliminated those people. As for the ones still whispering to each other on the opposite side of the bridge, Su Tang didn't care and neither would the Xi family. Moreover, although they weren't very powerful, making a ruckus to put pressure on that Ruan guy was no problem at all.

  Those who were willing to spend money have already passed, those who were unwilling to spend money see the sun has already set in the west, and the past is no longer meaningful. One after another, they turn their heads back and return to Red Leaf City.

  Before he knew it, everyone had left. At this time, another group of people appeared on the other side of the bridge, with only seven or eight people, walking quickly towards the bridgehead.