Chapter 279: Extortion

In the courtyard at dawn, Rod wielded the Xuanyuan Sword, moving with grace as if floating on the wind. His movements were fluid and precise, without the slightest hesitation. At this moment, he was fully immersed in his cultivation, completely absorbed in his own world, merging his entire being with the Xuanyuan Sword.
It seemed this was the first time since the Xuanyuan Sword reappeared that he had used it so effortlessly and cultivated so smoothly and perfectly. Thinking of the thunderstorms and uproar caused by the sword’s reappearance, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. If others knew the truth, they would surely go mad—after all, the so-called “Yangxuan Thunderstorm” was caused by a sword. It seemed almost unreasonable, hard to imagine. Yet, chaos would surely follow as people rushed to seize such a miraculous treasure. Who wouldn’t want something so extraordinary?
Slowly retracting the Xuanyuan Sword, Rod exhaled deeply, feeling refreshed. As the sky brightened, he returned to his room to tidy up before heading to the hall.
During breakfast, Melon, Gary, and the others stared at Rod with strange expressions. Rod could only smile bitterly—they must already know about his situation. Since they hadn’t asked, he saw no need to explain. It was better to let things remain as they were; speaking up might complicate things.
After breakfast, Rod, Sognar, and Lilith returned to the small courtyard to wait quietly for the members of the York family, who would surely arrive by morning at the latest.
As expected, around eight or nine o’clock, Rubio rushed into the courtyard, out of breath. His gaze was complex as he said with a wry smile, “Alright, the York family has arrived. You’d better go meet them.”
Hearing this, Rod, Sognar, and Lilith exchanged smiles before heading toward the hall.
Behind them, Rubio was filled with mixed emotions, unsure what to say. His gaze toward Rod changed again. It wasn’t until the York family arrived at the mansion that he realized how extraordinary things had been last night beneath the surface calm.
Rod had caused trouble again—he even kidnapped the young head of the York family. Wasn’t that excessive? This was the York family’s territory, the City of Ice. After just one day, he had done such a thing. He really didn’t know what to say.

“What’s the matter? Why are you staring at me?” As Rubio muttered to himself, Rod’s voice pulled him back to reality. Soon after, he heard Sognar asking, “How many people from the York family have come? Did they bring anything?”
Those shameless words made even someone like Rubio feel embarrassed. How could they run into such a bunch of thugs? Wasn’t this outright extortion? And they were extorting someone else’s territory—simply…
“Three people have come: the ancestor of the York family, an elder, and Zi Yang from the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle clan!” Rubio said helplessly with a smirk. The York family was one of the few powerful clans. It was said that the old man’s strength had reached the Yin Yellow realm, and it was because of him that the York family had risen to its current status.
As for Zi Yang, some even exaggeratedly called him the greatest being at the divine level. Though that might be an overstatement, he was still among the top ten at the divine level and could enter easily. The other elder also didn’t seem like someone to mess with. With all three of them here, trouble was likely to arise again.
“Hmm, not bad. Three people have come. Let’s go take a look!” Sognar said nonchalantly.
When they arrived in the hall, all three of them were there, along with Melon and Gary. It seemed the old man from the York family and Gary were old acquaintances, chatting and laughing happily.
It wasn’t until Rod and his group appeared that the situation gradually calmed down. Turning to Rod, Gary gave a bitter smile. “Rod, come here. Let me introduce you—this is the ancestor of the York family, Merkel!” He then pointed to another old man in his seventies and introduced him as the chief elder of the York family. There was no need to introduce the third person—Rod already knew him; it was Zi Yang. After introducing them all, he pointed at Rod and Sognar and asked what had happened.
Knowing full well that this was just an act, Rod didn’t mind playing along. “I’m not sure what matters the elders have for Rod here,” he said, pretending to be flattered, which made Sognar look at him with disdain.

“Hehe, young Rod is joking. Last night, Jokel, the young head of the York family, might have had some misunderstanding with you and was brought here. So today, I, the old man, have to step in personally. I hope you can show some courtesy and let this matter go, how about that?” This old fellow named Merkel was quite bold, pretending not to know anything and even shirking responsibility—wasn’t that clearly admitting his own fault?

“And my young master, I hope you’ll release them soon!” Zi Yang’s words were simple, yet they carried an undeniable authority.

“Hm? Sognar, was the person we captured last night the young head of the York family? I had no idea. Weren’t those the ones who tried to assassinate us last night? They were captured after the battle—were they those people?” Since the other side was stalling, Rod wasn’t bothered to play along and asked Sognar with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t know. That can’t be right. The young head of the York family would be a sky-thieving bandit and try to assassinate us? I’ve lost several of my items to him—now I don’t even know where they are. It can’t be!” Understanding Rod’s intent, Sognar also exaggerated his words, ready to fabricate any excuse needed.

At that moment, the faces of the people on the other side turned dark. Gary and Melon shook their heads with bitter smiles, realizing this matter wasn’t that simple. They didn’t know what to say about Rod and Sognar either.

“Cough, cough, cough… Young Rod is joking. Jokel isn’t that bad. I believe it’s a misunderstanding! According to the guards who reported back, he just went out to see some old friends yesterday. He probably got drunk and ended up in the wrong place, causing trouble. I hope for your understanding!” After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Merkel continued.

It was already quite difficult to get him to speak like this. Perhaps under other circumstances, they would have released them without hesitation, but Rod and Sognar clearly didn’t want to do that.

“That’s impossible. I think the senior has a misunderstanding. The two people we captured yesterday are definitely those bandits. We’ve suffered heavy losses—we can’t just let them go. It can’t be Young Master Jokel, hehe.” Sognar spoke first.

The two sides argued back and forth, making the atmosphere increasingly awkward and tense.

Merkel, Zi Yang, and the grand elder’s expressions also grew darker and more grim!

“What do you want to do to release them?” Under Merkel’s gaze, Zi Yang shouted firmly. Clearly, his status in the York family was quite high.

“Huh? Really do you want to spend money for some strangers?” Sognar asked exaggerately.
“Since we’re here, let’s do a good deed. Maybe they’re people we know. I hope young Rod will be generous!” said the eldest priest with a disgustingly smug smile.
“Simple—one million Black Coins! Consider it our loss!” Sognar demanded boldly, even making Rod’s heart race.
One million Black Coins was indeed a substantial amount for the York family. Lilith’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she was clearly pleased with Sognar’s offer. Gary and Melon, on the other hand, didn’t know what to say, wishing they could burrow somewhere—this was outright extortion. How could such people exist?
“You guys! Don’t go too far!” Zi Yang shouted upon hearing the price. The other two also turned deathly pale.
“It doesn’t matter. One million, not a penny less. It’s up to you. Our losses aren’t just this amount. We’re already giving you 20% off out of courtesy. But if you refuse to pay today, it won’t be this price tomorrow—food and lodging still cost money! Our dragon clan’s prices aren’t cheap!” Sognar said smugly, unapologetic. Rod was completely convinced—truly worthy of the dragon clan, obsessed with money. No need to explain such arrogance.
“Young man, Gary and I are friends. For Gary’s sake, how about 300,000? I’m sure it’s not a loss for you!” Merkel said after a pause, looking at Gary as if waiting for him to speak.
“No, not a penny less. I said it—this money isn’t for Lord Gary. He hasn’t suffered any loss!” Sognar rushed to say, fearing Gary might agree.
Gary stood there, mouth agape, not knowing what to say—these kids were truly ruthless. He thought angrily, “They’re already trying to distance me so quickly?”
“Alright, the price is set—one million. Pay before noon or it won’t be this price. As for those two, they’re unharmed now, but after noon, who knows? I’m not very patient!” Without waiting for a response, Sognar took Rod and Lilith and strode away leisurely, leaving Zi Yang and the others furious.

It wasn’t until a few of them went from the hall to the backyard that they saw Sognar suddenly slapping his chest frantically. “Damn it, I was terrified! Hell, I was in real danger just now. You have no idea—those two bastards, Zi Yang and Merkel, used their aura to pressure me; I almost fainted!” he said, breathing heavily with a look of outrage on his face.
Rod and Lilith were shocked. Was that really true? It seemed a bit exaggerated—how could they not have noticed at all? To what extent had things reached?