Blatant extortion

Slap! Slap!

Two sharp slaps landed squarely on the face of the burly man, shocking everyone present into stunned silence. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Chu Yiyun's eyes flared with rage, his murderous intent unmistakable as he leaped towards Yang Fan, ready to teach the insolent healer a lesson.

"Stop!" Lin Zhong's face turned cold as he swiftly formed a series of hand seals. A surge of spiritual energy rose before him, and with a flicker of azure light, he summoned an ancient bronze bell.

*Hummm...* 

The bell emitted a low, resonating hum, its vibrations so intense that even the air seemed to tremble. The mortals outside the clinic, upon hearing the sound, were struck with nausea, their vision darkening. Those weaker in constitution fainted on the spot.

Chu Yiyun's body froze mid-action, halted by the strange power of the artifact.

"Stop this, now!" A soft yet firm voice echoed, bringing with it an air of authority. It was Chu Yuyan, her delicate face flushed with a hint of displeasure. 

"Junior sister, but—" Chu Yiyun's anger had not subsided.

"A healer must be left to his craft without interruption," Lin Zhong said calmly, the bronze bell in his hand glowing faintly, radiating a potent spiritual pressure. 

Chu Yiyun hesitated, his gaze falling on the artifact. An upper-grade magic tool! The bronze bell could serve both offense and defense, its ability to disrupt the minds of enemies was not to be underestimated.

Chu Yuyan's eyes glinted with subtle intrigue. For a mere mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator to possess such a formidable tool... it was unexpected.

*Slap!* 

Another sharp slap resounded through the hall. Yang Fan remained composed and unperturbed, delivering his third slap with the same calm elegance, undistracted by the escalating tension.

Each slap, spaced evenly, carried a strange rhythm, almost as if it followed an unspoken, mysterious pattern.

At that moment, the burly man lying on the stretcher let out a low groan and slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clouded with confusion.

"Hu Ren! You're awake!" Chu Yiyun rushed to his side, crouching down to examine him.

Yang Fan's healing prowess had succeeded, and the astonishment on Chu Yuyan's face was evident. Her bright eyes sparkled with admiration, and two small dimples appeared on her pale, flawless cheeks as she smiled.

"What… what am I doing here?" Hu Ren glanced around, bewilderment etched across his rugged face. When his eyes fell upon Chu Yuyan, he was visibly startled. "Even the young lady is here?"

Chu Yuyan spoke gently, her voice like a cool breeze, "It's all your fault for being greedy, venturing alone into Ghost Corpse Mountain in search of ancient tombs. Luckily, Yang Fan saved you."

"Yang Fan?" Hu Ren looked around uncertainly, his gaze sweeping over Yang Fan, Lin Zhong, and the others. "Which one is Yang Fan?"

Clearly, none of them matched the image of the revered healer he had imagined.

Chu Yiyun quickly pointed to Yang Fan. "This is the famed Yang Fan, the one who saved you."

Although Chu Yiyun showed a modicum of respect, his eyes still held traces of irritation, the memory of Yang Fan's slaps on his brother's face lingering.

"You… you saved me?" Hu Ren asked, finding it hard to believe. Yang Fan was so young!

"You ventured alone into Ghost Corpse Mountain?" Yang Fan's calm voice broke through Hu Ren's thoughts.

"Yes, I acted recklessly," Hu Ren admitted with a tinge of guilt, lowering his gaze.

Yang Fan stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Did you, by chance, encounter a ghostly being? Perhaps a female spirit?"

Hu Ren's face paled at the mention, his eyes widening in shock. "How… how did you know?"

"A Qi Refiner like you, falling prey to the seductions of a ghost... It's only your weak will to blame," Yang Fan said, his tone laced with faint disdain.

Hu Ren lowered his head in shame. That day, deep within the treacherous Ghost Corpse Mountain, he had come across a stunningly beautiful woman in white. Enchanted by her beauty, he had let his guard down. Though he had sensed something amiss, her illusionary powers were so strong that even his spirit-sensing techniques failed to detect the truth. Before he knew it, he had fallen under her spell.

The others, all cultivators themselves, easily pieced together the story. Their gazes shifted towards Hu Ren, each of them harboring their own thoughts on the matter.

"From what I can gather, he was ensnared by a charm spell," Chu Yuyan said softly, her bright eyes focused on the elegant figure of Yang Fan.

"Indeed," Yang Fan nodded. "Charm spells cloud the victim's mind, creating illusions and trapping them in false realities. Normally, they would awaken on their own in a few days. However, an adept healer could bring them out of the spell instantly. Of course, my... *special method* works just as well."

"A special method?" 

Everyone was taken aback, recalling the three slaps Yang Fan had delivered—was that his so-called special method?

Hu Ren gingerly touched his face, still sore from the slaps, looking more confused than ever.

Yang Fan smiled confidently. "Yes, a unique method, one that only I can master."

Chu Yiyun's face darkened with skepticism. Slapping someone to wake them from a charm spell? That's all it took?

Chu Yuyan chuckled softly, her voice light as a breeze. "I believe Yang Fan is just teasing us."

Yang Fan did not bother explaining further. In truth, the three slaps were far from ordinary—they followed a precise technique described in the ancient medical insights he had studied. Moreover, there were other methods, like the 'Awakening Art' from the divine *Xianhong Jue*, that could achieve the same effect.

"Well then, now that the patient has been cured, it's time to settle the matter of payment." Yang Fan's voice shifted abruptly, taking on a colder tone.

"Payment?" Chu Yiyun asked, somewhat caught off guard. "How much are we talking about?"

"Normally," Yang Fan began slowly, "a case like this would cost about twenty spirit stones."

"Twenty spirit stones?!" Chu Yiyun's face turned pale. For just three slaps, Yang Fan was asking for such an exorbitant fee? It was blatant extortion!

For cultivators like them, twenty spirit stones were no small amount. Even a decent magical tool might cost that much.

"But…" Yang Fan's eyes gleamed with a subtle light, "due to your earlier disrespect towards me, I had to go out of my way to treat the patient. Therefore, the original twenty spirit stones will be doubled. The final fee is forty spirit stones."

Forty spirit stones! 

Chu Yiyun and Hu Ren's faces turned ashen, even Chu Yuyan looked somewhat surprised by the sudden spike in price.

"Of course," Yang Fan added with a faint smile, "with your considerable strength and the backing of Rain Mist Manor, you could easily refuse to pay. After all, what could a humble healer like me do against you?"

The calm and nonchalant way Yang Fan spoke made it clear that he didn't fear them in the slightest.

Chu Yuyan bit her lip, a flicker of determination crossing her face. "Fine. We will pay the fee."

"Miss!" Both Chu Yiyun and Hu Ren looked deeply embarrassed, their pride stung by Yang Fan's blatant extortion.

But there was no escaping it now. Forty spirit stones it was.