Chapter 66: Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf—I Am the Tiger!

Ye Tian approached together with the group of twenty, drawing near the exhibition area.

Before his eyes, the shelves ahead were filled with rough stones of various shapes and sizes, including both river pebbles and mountain stones from Hetian. The variety of jadeite ores on display was simply astonishing.

The quality of these raw stones was exceptionally high—any one of them, once cut open, could fetch a hefty sum!

The sheer scale of the Green Dragon Society’s operation was enough to leave anyone in awe.

As Ye Tian pondered this, a group of experts, all wearing reading glasses, had already picked up their specialized flashlights and begun examining their chosen rough stones, knocking and observing them intently.

Besides Ye Tian, there were eight others standing motionless on the field. Each was a formidable martial artist, their eyes fixed on the jade experts, ready to pounce and snatch at any moment.

Among these people, Ye Tian suddenly spotted a familiar face.

Tang Long.

Deputy to Tang Zhenguo—he, too, was here to bid?

Ye Tian was puzzled for a moment, then quickly understood. The ginseng he had given the old man could at most extend his life by a decade or so, but this Black Tortoise Head could let someone live well past two hundred!

Who wouldn't want to live longer? It was only natural for the old patriarch to send Tang Long to compete for it.

As Ye Tian was sizing him up, Tang Long also looked over with a hint of suspicion. “Brother, have we met before?”

“Perhaps,” Ye Tian replied noncommittally.

At the moment, Ye Tian wore a human-skin mask; it was impossible for Tang Long to recognize him by appearance. But as a martial artist of the Mount Tai realm, Tang Long’s senses were razor-sharp; he could discern something from Ye Tian’s aura.

Sure enough, a flash of understanding quickly lit up Tang Long’s eyes. Clearly, this man had seen through Ye Tian’s disguise. After all, the mask itself had been a gift from Tang Zhenguo—no wonder Tang Long could make the connection. Ye Tian was not surprised.

Tang Long clasped his hands in a respectful gesture. “Brother, I hope you’ll show mercy later. If you can help me obtain the Black Tortoise Head, the old master will meet any condition you name!”

With that, a sense of satisfaction welled up in Tang Long’s heart.

“Tang Long, forming alliances now? That’s not very sporting of you!” The other seven martial masters, having overheard talk of an alliance, immediately looked displeased and cast sharp glances their way.

At their head was Li Shuze, the young master of the White Tiger Sect, who gazed at Ye Tian with open hostility. He was still a step away from the Mount Tai realm—if it came to a fight, Tang Long alone would already be a tough opponent.

If Tang Long brought in a helper, there would be little doubt as to whom the Black Tortoise Head would go to. No, this alliance had to be broken!

A glint of cunning appeared in Li Shuze’s eyes as a plan formed in his mind. He raised his voice: “Gentlemen, this boy has been bought by Tang Long! Why don’t we join hands to take them down first?”

“Agreed!”

“Li, you’re absolutely right. We were thinking the same!”

“Yes, let’s deal with this stranger first. Tang Long is too troublesome, but this guy—we can handle him!”

The other six immediately echoed their support, all eyes now on Ye Tian.

Ye Tian could only shrug helplessly, cursing inwardly: Tang Long, you’ve really dragged me into this mess!

What the others didn’t realize was that they’d already fallen for Tang Long’s scheme—using tigers to devour wolves.

Yet, Ye Tian was a tiger, while the other six weren’t even worthy of being called wolves.

“Master Ye’s strength is unmatched. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to him, and these fools think they can take him on? They’re courting death!” Tang Long thought smugly. Benefactor, don’t blame me for dragging you into this. My foster father gave strict orders—I must bring back the Black Tortoise Head today!

“Attack now!”

Without warning, just as the tension reached its peak, Li Shuze struck first with a surprise attack.

Six early-stage Mount Tai martial artists and one grandmaster at his peak all lunged at Ye Tian at once!

A barrage of fists and kicks came crashing down like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm him.

“Damn it, this is just bullying!” Gu Tianzhen, who had previously seen Ye Tian as a rival in love and wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, couldn’t help but protest on his behalf.

“Seven against one, picking on the weak—what a bunch of cowards!”

“Especially Li Shuze. I always knew he was a schemer. I was right!”

“What do you mean, picking on the weak? Watch your mouth!” Gu Qing’er frowned and interrupted her cousin with irritation. “Who’s weak here? That’s yet to be seen!”

As they spoke, the fight onstage was already in full swing.

The audience watched, hearts pounding with anxiety.

In the face of the onslaught, Ye Tian remained calm. With a casual sidestep, he closed in on the weakest among them—Li Shuze—and pinched him between two fingers.

Li Shuze felt his fist strike nothing but air; then his collar tightened.

The next second, the world spun around him!

Ye Tian simply grabbed him and tossed him like a cannonball into the crowd!

“No wonder they all ganged up on him—this man’s a real master!” The audience could hardly follow Ye Tian’s movements; he was like a phantom.

But what they could see was that, even under siege by seven, this young man not only dodged with ease, he tossed the so-called martial prodigy Li Shuze around like a chick!

By the time Li Shuze regained his senses, he had become a human bowling ball, scattering the six Mount Tai fighters as they scrambled to avoid him.

Meanwhile, Ye Tian strolled over to Tang Long and gave him a warning pat on the shoulder.

“We’ll settle this later,” he murmured, and with that, casually brushed aside a whip kick from an elder.

A crisp slap sent the old man sprawling, unconscious before he hit the ground.

To the ordinary eye, it seemed merely that this man’s martial skills were formidable.

But to true experts, the sight was enough to make their hearts race in terror.

“H-he-he…” Gu Tianzhen stammered, eyes wide as saucers, unable to form a complete sentence.

“One slap… for a Mount Tai master?!”

This young Ye, facing Mount Tai masters, dispatched them as easily as flicking away chicks—one move, one down…

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Tianzhen’s back, his scalp tingling. He knew all too well: a Mount Tai expert could treat him like a chick, and by extension, Ye Tian could end his life as easily as drinking a glass of water.

“Cousin, did I… did I say anything too harsh just now?” Gu Tianzhen asked timidly, after thinking it over.

“No, you just said you wanted to tear him apart.”

Gu Tianzhen fell speechless.

“Master Li, there’s something strange about this young man!” On stage, seven masters had barely exchanged a move before one was knocked out.

The remaining fighters hesitated, not daring to make another rash move.

“What are you afraid of? You old fools have lived half your lives and you can’t even take on a servant boy?!” Li Shuze crawled up from where he’d landed ten meters away, cursing in frustration.

“If we don’t deal with him, none of us will get the Black Tortoise Head today!”