Free Web NovelChapter 2202: Chapter 2237: Awaiting Your Arrival
Wu Qingxia harbored a worry in her heart; Ding Fan was rising at an incredibly swift pace, and his cultivation speed was much faster than others. At this rate, she feared Ding Fan would soon leave to find Xia Mengqing. Therefore, Wu Qingxia had to quickly figure out what to do.
Mu Gaosou had made his breakthrough, so the Skeleton Sect no longer needed to supply him with Black Obsidian. Consequently, Wu Qingxia and the Second Elder indulged recklessly, purchasing a significant amount of High Level Pills and Spiritual Materials, wholeheartedly aiding the disciples of the Skeleton Sect to break through their realms.
With so many medicine pills and spiritual materials, cultivating First Level Martial Artists in the Divine Realm wasn’t a problem; with an abundance of spiritual materials, even Second Level wasn’t an issue. With Black Obsidian, things became manageable.
Wu Qingxia and the Second Elder planned to use endless medicine pills and spiritual materials to first nurture a batch of Divine Realm Second Level Peak experts. Among so many people, they hoped to produce a few Divine Realm Third Level experts.
The Zhong Family had been quiet, and the Tianmu Sea was exceptionally calm; Xu Jianqiang had not stirred up any trouble, and Skull Island was tranquil.
The years spent cultivating were short, and time flew by. A month later, a guest arrived at Skull Island, interrupting Ding Fan’s cultivation. The visitor was Steward He. Mu Gaosou secretly escorted Ding Fan back to Jingshan Castle, then confidently proceeded to meet Steward He.
Steward He again conveyed a message from Madam Yan, asking if Ding Fan had decided on his future course. If he had, he should make a trip to Daozhen Villa.
Ding Fan felt a weight in his heart; it seemed Madam Yan was issuing an ultimatum. She had realized Ding Fan was stalling and no longer wanted to wait, forcing him to give a decisive answer.
Should he join the Herr Family or not?
If he refused the Herr Family in the Tianmu Sea, the consequences would not be pleasant. Madam Yan, the Iron Lady, lived up to her reputation. If Ding Fan could bring benefits to the Herr Family or herself, she would naturally treat him as a treasure, granting whatever he wished. If not, she would immediately turn hostile, just as she had after the last battle on Skull Island.
The forces in the Tianmu Sea knew that Madam Yan never regarded personal feelings and held no sentimental attachment; in her eyes, only interests mattered. Everything was assessed based on the interests of the Daozhen Family. If Ding Fan was of no use to her, she would discard him like a pair of worn-out shoes, never to look at him again.
If he refused Madam Yan, the consequences might be severe.
Ding Fan felt helpless and unsure of how Madam Yan might handle him. He could only stall, hoping to delay until Ye Li and the others emerged, at which point he would be safe. He politely requested Steward He to inform Madam Yan that he was at a crucial moment in breaking through to the Divine Realm Third Level; in just two or three months, he could succeed and then visit Daozhen Villa to atone.
Steward He’s expression instantly turned grim, and he left Skull Island without a word. Watching his departing figure, Ding Fan sighed, knowing that future days might be tough. He only hoped Madam Yan wouldn’t be too ruthless, allowing him to endure until Ye Li and others emerged.
Ding Fan returned to cultivate, and soon, what he feared happened...
Over ten days later, the Second Elder and Wu Qingxia went to deliver spiritual materials to Daozhen Trade Firm. Even Steward He did not come out to meet them. All the prices of spiritual materials had been halved, and the person receiving them not only offered no explanation but also hinted that if the Skeleton Sect wanted to sell their materials to other firms, they were free to do so.
According to the previous agreement, the given prices from Daozhen Trade Firm were obviously incorrect. Their people said the Skeleton Sect could sell as they wished, but Wu Qingxia and the Second Elder did not have the courage for such a move.
The two returned to find Ding Fan, but he had no better solution. After contemplating for a while, he decided that Wu Qingxia and the Second Elder should continue selling the materials to Daozhen Trade Firm. Earning a bit less was not yet the time to entirely offend the Herr Family; the consequences would be unbearable for them.
More than a month had passed, and Ding Fan would soon break through to the Divine Realm Third Level realm in just half a month. The necessary medicine pills and spiritual materials were already prepared by Wu Qingxia long ago. If he thought of buying them now, he wouldn’t even be able to find any.
Proceeding cautiously, like treading on thin ice, everything must be handled carefully. As long as they carefully got through the next two months, and Ye Li and others emerged, Ding Fan would have nothing to fear.
The more cautious Ding Fan was, the more issues arose. After only four days, Xu Jianqiang arrived at Skull Island with a Divine Realm Fourth Level Elder, issuing a new order to the Skeleton Sect.
The Xu Family retracted their previous order relieving them from tribute, demanding Skull Island supply ten thousand Black Obsidian every month. Otherwise, they would no longer recognize Skull Island as their affiliate.
In other words, if the Skeleton Sect failed to supply the tribute, Moon Mist Island would no longer protect Skull Island. Should any other force or family attack Skull Island, they would not assist Skull Island’s people.
Ten thousand a month equaled one hundred twenty thousand annually; hardly any affiliated force would supply such a heavy tribute. The Xu Family must have caught wind of something, creating difficulties for the Skeleton Sect.
"Give them!
Gritting his teeth, Ding Fan uttered these three words upon hearing Wu Qingxia’s report. These Black Obsidian weren’t an issue; currently, his most pressing need was time. He didn’t want to start a conflict with the Xu Family now, for any unforeseen situation could lead to irremediable regret.
Yet...
Nothing could have prepared him for Xu Jianqiang’s return to Skull Island merely four days after taking ten thousand Black Obsidian, demanding a million this time!
The reasoning given to the Skeleton Sect was that piracy was rampant on the seas at the moment, necessitating military funds from every affiliated force to combat pirates. Otherwise, should anything arise, Moon Mist Island would not intervene.
Ding Fan resolved to give more!
He endured it, just wanting to wait patiently for Ye Li to come out, but the Xu Family didn’t let it go. Three days later, Xu Jianqiang came again, asking for five million this time.
This time Ding Fan couldn’t bear it anymore. If he continued to give like this, how much would they want next time? Ten million? Or twenty million?
It’s not that Ding Fan couldn’t afford it; he had spiritual materials worth billions in his space ring. But he knew he couldn’t keep giving like this—it wouldn’t even make a splash in the water. This was simply bullying.
He brought Mu Gaosou back to Skull Island. In the conference hall, he saw Xu Jianqiang arrogantly sitting in the main seat, with the Third Elder of the Xu Family, Xu Haibo, sitting beside him.
Ding Fan had met Xu Haibo before at Xu Guotao’s birthday banquet. Back then, Xu Haibo warmly held Ding Fan’s hand and entered the Xu Family Courtyard together, drawing envious glances from many.
But now Xu Haibo seemed not to recognize Ding Fan. He sat there, head down drinking tea, completely ignoring Ding Fan. Behind them were two Divine Realm Third Level experts, both with cold expressions, paying no attention to anyone.
Seeing this situation, Ding Fan understood immediately; clearly, Xu Jianqiang had come to cause trouble, blatantly intending to bully Skull Island.
Moreover, it seemed that Xu Jianqiang hadn’t been sent by Xu Guotao, but perhaps called by Madam Yan, because Xu Guotao feared the Crimson Flame—even though the Crimson Flame hadn’t come anymore, he wouldn’t take risks.
The trouble hadn’t stopped; when Ding Fan went to Zhong Family Fortress to wreak havoc, there was a mysterious expert protecting him. This matter had already spread across Tianmu Sea, so he couldn’t ignore it.
But now Xu Jianqiang had come so arrogantly, bringing Xu Haibo and two Divine Realm Third Level experts. Was Xu Guotao no longer afraid? Clearly, they had even greater backing to make them come, and in Tianmu Sea, who else could this backing be besides Madam Yan?
As long as the Daozhen Family supported them from behind, Xu Guotao wouldn’t fear anything; he would no longer care about any experts.
This time it seemed Madam Yan was quite angry, or perhaps she wanted Ding Fan to suffer, to make him understand that in Tianmu Sea, not listening to the Daozhen Family would make it difficult to move forward smoothly. If he wanted to live steadily in Tianmu Sea, he could only bow to the Daozhen Family.
Since the matter was clear, Ding Fan walked over calmly, cupped his hands towards Xu Haibo, and said, "Ding Fan greets Elder Xu, Young Master Xu. It’s been a long time since we met!"
Xu Jianqiang didn’t even lift his head, just snorted coldly without answering. Xu Haibo looked up indifferently at Ding Fan and said, "Elder Xu, what brings you here this time? Please enlighten us!"
Xu Haibo first sipped his tea, sighed to Ding Fan, and said, "Ah, it’s Ding Fan. Find a place to sit down!"
Ding Fan didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly found a seat to sit down, saying to Xu Haibo, "Elder Xu, let’s speak frankly!"
Xu Haibo took another sip of tea and then said to Ding Fan, "Ding Fan, these days it’s been quite turbulent, the sea pirates are rampant. There have already been four or five large pirate groups appearing, and there’s even a Divine Realm Fourth Level expert leading them. Many people on Moon Mist Island have died, and without Black Obsidian, we can’t fight. We truly have no choice, that’s why we’re reaching out to you!"
Ding Fan didn’t want to waste words with him and directly replied, "But Elder Xu, you’re asking for five million Black Obsidians. Skull Island is just a Second Grade power, we can’t produce that!"
"How could that be! You, Island Master Ding, should have plenty of Black Obsidian. Even if you might say there’s none, just at the auction previously, you threw down twenty million Black Obsidians. This matter is still being discussed by major powers in Tianmu Sea today! To me, it’s also inviting trouble; I’ve heard that those pirates are targeting you. They’re coming for you, the tycoon. To protect you, we’ve lost many people from the Xu Family at the front lines. This isn’t right, is it?" Xu Haibo said to Ding Fan with a faint smile on his face.
"Oh, so they are indeed coming for me!"
Ding Fan secretly sneered in his heart; they were indeed targeting him, but they probably weren’t pirates. Perhaps it was some power’s people disguised, with the strong ones likely being from the Xu Family.
"I’m really out; Skull Island is soon going to run out of food. If you were asking for ten or twenty thousand, we might sell everything to scrape it together for you, but five million—even if you cut me into pieces, I wouldn’t have it."
"Without Black Obsidian, we still have other ways. If you don’t pay money, at least provide people. How about that? Skull Island gathers a troop of ten thousand to fight pirates with us."
"This..."
Ding Fan was speechless; Skull Island didn’t even have ten thousand people in total. Besides, he knew what Xu Haibo meant—if they really mobilized ten thousand to give them, perhaps none would return, and if he went, he might not return either.
Thinking of this, Ding Fan said to Xu Haibo, "Elder Xu, all the martial artists on Skull Island combined don’t make ten thousand; besides, they don’t have much martial power. Going would make them cannon fodder. How about this? I’ll give you all the Tigertooth Apes."
"No way! The family head has already ordered that all subsidiary powers must provide people if they can’t provide Black Obsidian; otherwise, if pirates attack Skull Island, Moon Mist Island will not intervene."
Xu Haibo’s attitude hardened as he spoke to Ding Fan.
Ding Fan could no longer bear it; he stood up and said, "Alright, then let them come. Elder Xu, you can inform those pirates: I’ll be waiting for them on Skull Island. But as long as they dare to step on Skull Island, no one will care what happens if they die here."
