"Besides, we won''t have to pay the Cookville Jays anymore. Our family will be protected enough with Envoy Penn alone," said Rowan.


    The crowd could not help but frown. Was this man really as powerful as their n leader and elders were making him out to be, to the point where he could trump the three Cookville Jays?


    Just then, however, a peal ofughter sounded from outside the door.


    "Very well, very well! You Cooks are getting gutsy now, even thinking of not paying


    us anymore! Who gave you the nerve for that, huh?"


    The Cook family were shocked, looking toward the door at once.


    Three middle-aged men with ashen expressions swaggered into the room.


    They made a beeline for Jude, Rowan, and the rest, standing right in front of them while radiating an overwhelming pressure.


    The three men were none other than the three Cookville Jays, peak Ambience level cultivators Warren Corbain, Taver Quizmo, and Sander Wallis.


    All three men had made a name for themselves for a long time now, dominating the Cookville cultivator circle. Every year, every singlepany or corporation would have to pay them an envoy fee or their business would notst.


    This had angered many businessmen, but they had no choice but to follow the rules set in ce.


    Jude looked at the three men, refusing to back down in the slightest. "You three have freeloaded off the Cook family for long enough, haven''t you?"


    "Long enough?" Warren smirked. "You''re talking as if you would be able to run your businesses in Cookville without us!"


    Jude eyed them coldly. "All you do is take our money, but never actually do anything. Back when we had gotten into a dispute with another n, both parties each paid the three of you ten million dors to help us settle it. And what happened? You just had both parties take fifty strokes of the cane, which meant we lost anyway. Really, what have you even done for our n?"


    "How dare you! We have kept peace in Cookville, and that is enough work to warrant everything we have gotten! How dare you speak to us like this?" Taver retorted sharply.


    Rowan snorted. "We could have fixed our problems ourselves without you."


    "It seems like you Cooks are trying to get yourselves chased out of Cookvile," said Sander.


    Jude got to his feet then, his voice loud. "Effective immediately, the Cook family will stop paying the three of you a single cent. Please also stay out of our family affairs. You may leave now."


    The order threw the three Jays off guard.


    The next second, however, Warren burst outughing. "My, my. Looks like entering that hidden realm really gave you a burst of courage, didn''t it? I''m guessing you must have gotten something good out of it!"


    "That''s none of your business," said Jude coldly.


    The three Cookville Jays'' expressions turned cold. Spirit pressure surged out of their bodies, making it hard for everyone else in the room to breathe.


    "Hand whatever you found over and double whatever you pay us yearly, and we''ll consider sparing you. Take it as a little punishment. Am I clear?" Warren asked loudly.


    The Cook family members'' expressions darkened at once.


    Everyone knew just how powerful these three were. What were the Cooks going to do if they were to really massacre them?


    "Sir, won''t you please apologize to them? Please stop giving us more trouble," someone in the crowd could not help but shout.


    Jude and the others turned pale as well, their breathing bingbored.


    It was clear, however, that none of them had any intention of backing down,


    judging from the way that they were holding the Cookville Jays'' gazes with all their might.


    "You bastards." The three men summoned their weapons at once, pointing them directly at Jude, Rowan, and the other elders.