"Old Chu," Liu Sheng greeted Chu He as he sat in a chair.
Chu He walked over without ceremony and sat beside them, saying to Liu Sheng, "Young Liu, you were just about to offer fifty million to have Ye Bufan clarify the marriage contract in front of the media?"
"That's right," Liu Sheng replied. Chu He's powerful aura suddenly made Liu Sheng lose his confidence.
"Let me tell you this. Little Fan pulled me back from the King of Hell and cured my long-standing hidden illness. I gifted this villa, worth fifty million, to Little Fan. I even gave Little Fan a card with ten million on it. Do you think Little Fan lacks this little bit of money from you?" Chu He said, "I'm here today mainly to offer Little Fan a position as a guest elder in the Chu family with an annual salary of ten million."
Liu Sheng listened to Chu He's words, frantically wiping the sweat from his brow.
"To put it bluntly, was the marriage your father arranged back then only worth this paltry fifty million?"
As he spoke, Chu He asked Ye Bufan, "Little Fan, tell me, why did your master agree to this marriage for you?"
Ye Bufan replied, "When Master came down the mountain, he helped Old Master Liu, but he didn't explain the specific reason."
"Good," Chu He said. "Young Liu, let's not discuss the specifics for now. But do you really think that using your daughter's marriage as repayment is only worth fifty million? I think calling your Liu family ungrateful and treacherous is putting it mildly; in my opinion, it's outright ingratitude."
Chu He's words were powerful and decisive, causing Liu Sheng to deflate instantly.
"Old Chu, we live in an era of free love now. What about arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers? Now that the two elders who made the agreement have passed away, this matter is naturally null and void," Liu Sheng said.
"Hmph!" Chu He snorted. "Since it's null and void, then why did you come here? You could have just held a press conference yourself to clarify it."
Liu Sheng was speechless at Chu He's retort. He finally found an excuse and slunk away from the Chu family.
Sitting in the car, Liu Sheng looked back at the villa and sneered, "Be arrogant now, you won't be arrogant for long. I hope you won't come crawling to me then. Chu He, Ye Bufan, I've got your names."
Liu Sheng gnashed his teeth in hatred. Inside the villa, Ye Bufan also fell silent, listening to Chu He's words.
"Little Fan, after this incident, I hope you'll seriously consider it," Chu He said.
Chu He and Ye Bufan were discussing the matter of the Chu family's guest elder, which had just come up during their conversation with Liu Sheng.
As everyone knew, the Yang family had hired several high-level martial artists to guard them, and these martial artists even helped the Yang family with some unsavory deeds.
The Chu family wouldn't engage in shady dealings, but they did need a martial artist to stand guard. This way, no other families would dare to provoke the Chu family lightly.
Furthermore, Chu He was also eyeing Ye Bufan's connections.
The intervention of Zhu Zizhen during the Chu family's recent crisis was something Chu He had least expected. Later, when Chu He investigated, he was terrified to learn that Zhu Zizhen had actually become Ye Bufan's disciple.
Therefore, Chu He began to strategize. If he could win over Ye Bufan, the Chu family could also leverage their relationship with Zhu Zizhen to get acquainted with people in the military. This would significantly bolster the Chu family's security and eventually allow them to stand on equal footing with the Yang family.
"Old Chu, I can agree to your offer. However, I won't be staying in Jinhe for too long as I venture into the world. Therefore, I hope the Chu family can become stronger in the shortest possible time and be able to contend with the Yang family. This whole situation arose because of me, and I have an obligation to ensure the Chu family's safety," Ye Bufan replied after a moment of thought.
"Good! Good! Good!" Chu He exclaimed happily, saying "good" three times.
The next day, the Chu family released news that they had hired a high-level martial artist as a guest elder. This news caused a stir throughout Jinhe. The Chu family became the second family, after the Yang family, to hire a martial artist, and some even saw this as the Chu family declaring war on the Yang family.
Following this, the Chu family announced their future development direction—the traditional Chinese medicine industry, and simultaneously appointed the renowned physician Zhu Zizhen as their spokesperson for this sector.
As a result, the Chu family's concept stocks in traditional Chinese medicine soared. By the close of trading that afternoon, the Chu family's stock price had jumped from twelve yuan to over two hundred and forty, an increase of more than twentyfold.
In just one day, the rankings of Jinhe's prominent families had changed.
The Chu family, formerly ranked fifth in Jinhe City, leaped to third. The Liu family, on the other hand, which had been affected by the marriage contract controversy, dropped one spot from sixth to seventh.
There was no immediate movement from the Yang family, and Jinhe fell into a peculiar silence.
Since Ye Bufan had learned about Jin Fang last time, he had made plans to meet Zhu Zizhen again.
The Jin Fang auction was about to begin, and during this time, Zhu Zizhen had also gathered some information about the Tian Long Pearl and Fire Sulfur Vine.
The two decided to visit Jin Fang, and Zhu Zizhen arrived at the villa early, bringing Ye Bufan his Golden Flame Lotus.
Jin Fang was located in the heart of Jinhe City, a place with many ancient architectural complexes and streets with historical research significance.
From the Tang Dynasty onwards, residential areas were collectively called "fang," streets behind large households were called "xiang," and places of business were called "jie." The "jie" were within the "xiang," and the "xiang" were within the "fang." Entry here required expenditure, hence the name Jin Fang.
However, there were certain conditions for entering Jin Fang. Entry cards were generally of two types: one was issued after an assessment by the establishment, and the other required a certificate of personal assets worth at least one billion from an institution registered in an offshore account.
A renowned physician like Zhu Zizhen fell into the first category, receiving an entry card issued by Jin Fang itself.
As the two stepped out, they coincidentally encountered Wang Xinyan.
Upon learning that they were going to Jin Fang, she insisted on accompanying them.
Zhu Zizhen intended to impress Wang Xinyan, hinting that not everyone could enter Jin Fang.
However, Wang Xinyan learned that an entry card to Jin Fang allowed for three people to enter at once. In the end, unable to refuse Wang Xinyan, both of them relented.
At noon, the three arrived at the entrance of Jin Fang. To Ye Bufan's surprise, there were even more people than he had imagined.
"Rumble—"
In the distance, the roar of a sports car grew closer and finally stopped at the entrance of Jin Fang.
A young man in a white suit alighted from the car, flanked by three elaborately dressed women.
A doorman at Jin Fang stepped forward to take his keys and parked his sports car in the lot.
"Young Master Liang, is this the Jin Fang you were talking about?" one of the women asked.
"That's right, it's this place. Today, this young master will show you the sights," the man called Jin Shao said.