"Take the money, put down the deed, grab your things, and get out!" Liu Zhen narrowed his eyes, a surge of killing intent rising from him.
He was slowly getting into character now. With the confidence that came from being wealthy, plus a powerful patron backing him, what reason did he have to be afraid?
The property owner was terrified, hastily bowing and scraping. "Please wait, please wait. I'll go pack up right away, take my family, and leave immediately."
This man was no fool. He knew Liu Zhen had come back to settle scores. Liu Zhen himself might not be all that terrifying, but the people he'd brought along were each more ruthless than the last.
Just from their bearing alone, they were not people he could afford to cross. The fact that they were still willing to pay twenty million to buy back a house that had originally been theirs was practically a generous offer.
If he failed to read the room now, the next step might not be a high-priced buyback but an outright seizure.
After all, the methods they had used to acquire Liu Zhen's house back then were hardly something that could withstand scrutiny.
A smart man always gets things done quickly.
In less than half an hour, the owner had packed everything up. Over a dozen horse-drawn carts loaded with all the furniture they'd acquired over the years, and with children and family in tow, they prepared to leave.
Liu Zhen tossed the twenty million Sacred Ling Shi at him with a magnanimous air. "Count it."
"No need to count, no need to count." The man was about to tuck the money into his chest when he suddenly remembered something and hastily pulled out five million, respectfully returning it to Liu Zhen.
"Brother Liu Zhen, I bought this house with money back then, so I ended up throwing away some of your original belongings. These five million are compensation for the furniture you once had. It's all my fault — please, be the bigger man and don't hold it against me."
Liu Zhen had never expected that someone moving in would bother to keep his original belongings anyway.
He sniffed disdainfully. "Do I look like someone who's short five million?"
The man shuddered, his scalp tingling even more. This guy had really made it big. He didn't even bat an eye at five million! Now he was stuck — he couldn't keep the money, but he couldn't give it to Liu Zhen either. The whole situation had ground to a halt.
"What? You want to stay for lunch?" Liu Zhen snorted coldly.
The man snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream, forced a smile, and hastily retreated. "I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Brother Liu Zhen, my apologies, my apologies."
Twenty million — that was more than three times the original price. And he'd lived there for twenty or thirty years rent-free. No matter how you calculated it, he'd come out ahead.
With twenty million, what better estate couldn't he buy anywhere in Chitang City?
Bags and bundles, carts and wagons — the commotion of the move was enormous. It drew the attention of all the neighbors surrounding the estate.
"Hey, Zhang Dalang! This early in the morning, with all these carts and wagons — are you moving out?"
"Zhang Dalang, just yesterday I heard you say you were going to throw a full-month celebration for your grandson in a few days. How come you're suddenly moving?"
"Hey, Dalang, say something! We've been neighbors for so many years, and you're leaving without even saying goodbye? Afraid we'd borrow money from you or something?"
These neighbors had all been long-time residents around the estate. Many people, many faces — Liu Zhen recognized them all.
Zhang Dalang — the original owner of Liu Zhen's house — looked thoroughly awkward. "I'm moving out, moving out. This place... someone with the surname Zhang simply doesn't have the good fortune to stay here long-term."
"What kind of talk is that? You don't have the good fortune? Was Liu Zhen any luckier back then?"
"Come on, Dalang, don't overthink it. Liu Zhen squandered the family fortune, that's why he couldn't hold on to this prosperity. You're so good at managing a household — your luck is just fine. Why are you leaving?"
While these folks were chatting away, they started comparing the previous resident Liu Zhen right to his face.
But someone sharp-eyed immediately clamped a hand over one of their mouths, then jabbed a finger repeatedly toward where Liu Zhen was standing.
The ones who had just badmouthed Liu Zhen clearly spotted him too — standing at the doorway with a cold smile, arms crossed, looking down at them with a sidelong glance.
Yes, looking down.
That gaze carried a mix of casual amusement and mocking contempt. To put it more precisely, it was the look of someone standing on high ground, watching them make fools of themselves.
"Liu Zhen?"
"Am I seeing this right? It really is Liu Zhen? How'd you come back, kid? Did you force Zhang Dalang out?"
"That can't be right — with your level of cultivation, how could you scare off Zhang Dalang?"
Zhang Dalang's face changed dramatically when he heard this. "Everyone, everyone, please don't talk nonsense. Brother Liu Zhen bought back his ancestral home at a premium price. There was absolutely no coercion involved. Don't judge people by old impressions — Brother Liu Zhen has made it big now. He's a wealthy man."
Zhang Dalang clasped his fists toward Liu Zhen. "Brother Liu Zhen, then I'll take my leave. This place has excellent feng shui. I lived here for twenty or thirty years, and prosperity was never lacking. Now that it's back in Brother Liu Zhen's hands, it will surely prosper even more."
With that, Zhang Dalang hurriedly directed his convoy of carts and departed.
The neighbors stood there with their jaws on the floor. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have suspected something had gone wrong somewhere.
Who was Zhang Dalang? He was a martial artist at the Tianyuan Realm. That level might not be anything extraordinary in Chitang City, but out here, he was absolutely somebody.
And Liu Zhen — that washed-up loser — what could he possibly have to offer? Made his fortune? A wealthy man?
If he had that kind of ability, would he have had his woman snatched away back in the day? Would he have been swindled out of the family's properties?
Liu Zhen stood with his arms crossed, smiling coldly. "Go on, keep talking. Why'd you stop? How much grudge do you all hold against yours truly? Let's hear it all. Maybe there's something fresher in there."
The neighbors all looked rather uncomfortable.