Chapter 83: A One-Time Deal

Li Family Manor.

Compared to Liu Qianqian, Chu Tianfeng resembled a pampered young lady of a grand family even more.

After slipping into the guest room last night, he had barely stepped outside, not even leaving for meals, which Liu Qianqian brought to him.

After a day of cultivation, most of his injuries had healed. Moreover, the restorative pill he had taken was exceedingly potent, resulting in a significant increase in his true essence—he was now close to reaching the peak of the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Still, he was unwilling to leave the room. He had no fondness for the Liu family and truly did not wish to see them.

Old Master Liu and the others assumed he was simply shy and did not take it to heart.

That afternoon, Chu Tianfeng was still circulating his energy within the room.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” Even without using his spiritual sense, Chu Tianfeng knew it was Liu Qianqian.

As expected, the door was gently pushed open, and a charming face peeked in. “Senior, someone is here to see you.”

Chu Tianfeng frowned. Not long ago, Du Jingjing had called him; she was the only one who knew he was staying at the Liu residence.

He had no choice but to halt his cultivation and stand up. “Where are they?”

“They’re watching the fish in the garden,” Liu Qianqian replied as she entered.

“They?” Chu Tianfeng was puzzled.

Had he guessed wrong? Could someone else have found out where he was?

“Yes, three girls. One of them I’ve seen before; she’s your classmate.” Liu Qianqian smiled.

Still filled with questions, Chu Tianfeng and Liu Qianqian walked out of the villa toward the central garden.

Seeing three graceful figures in the octagonal pavilion, Chu Tianfeng suddenly understood.

Besides Du Jingjing, there were Xu Yan and Jiang Ziyue.

A pool of emerald water, a pond dotted with lotus flowers.

Three elegant figures, three beautiful faces.

The breeze played with their flowing hair and their laughter, as clear as silver bells.

Looking at these radiant faces, Chu Tianfeng felt a strange stirring in his heart, silently marveling at their beauty.

“Chu... Qianling!” Du Jingjing was the first to spot him. In her excitement, she nearly called out his real name but quickly caught herself and corrected it.

Xu Yan and Jiang Ziyue also noticed Chu Tianfeng and Liu Qianqian. Xu Yan quickly stood up, and together with Du Jingjing, they went to greet him.

Chu Tianfeng walked at his usual unhurried pace, Liu Qianqian keeping close behind.

“I brought them to see you—how’s that for loyalty?” Du Jingjing flipped her ponytail.

“I’m more interested in money. Bringing two people isn’t as good as bringing two hundred million.” Chu Tianfeng shrugged.

“Hey!” Jiang Ziyue called out from the pavilion, visibly displeased. “Are you jealous because we’re prettier and have a better figure than you?”

Chu Tianfeng nearly stumbled into the pond.

“My mistake. Next time, I’ll only bring Xu Yan,” Du Jingjing added when she saw Chu Tianfeng’s awkward expression, “and another hundred million.”

“Saving the hundred million for me?” Jiang Ziyue clasped her hands to her chest, her big eyes twinkling. “Jingjing, you’re too good to me! I’m so touched.”

“Don’t mind her—she’s always like this,” Xu Yan said naturally, taking Chu Tianfeng’s arm with a smile as bright as a blossoming flower.

“Ahem, ahem!” Du Jingjing pretended to cough loudly into her fist.

Chu Tianfeng awkwardly withdrew his arm from Xu Yan’s embrace and muttered, “Seek treatment early if you’re ill.”

“You—” Du Jingjing glared at him but then waved it off. “Forget it. I owe you my life, so I won’t argue with you.”

“What? Qianling saved you too?” Xu Yan exclaimed, her mouth agape.

“Yes,” Du Jingjing pouted. “Our heroine Qianling has no other hobby—she just likes rescuing beautiful maidens like us.”

Chu Tianfeng had just stepped into the pavilion and nearly stumbled again.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Xu Yan asked, linking her arm through his once more, her concern evident.

Chu Tianfeng could only shake his head, unable to explain.

“Hmph!” Du Jingjing bit her lip and spat out, “A guilty conscience!”

Everyone entered the pavilion and took their seats.

Xu Yan and Liu Qianqian sat on either side of Chu Tianfeng, leaving Du Jingjing across from him.

Looking around at the four women, Chu Tianfeng noticed Du Jingjing still looked annoyed, so he tried to change the subject. “What day is it? Why have you all come to see me?”

“Are you complaining there are too many or too few?” Du Jingjing snorted, picking up the thread. “With beauties on both sides—what’s not to like?”

Chu Tianfeng could only force a smile. “Do I owe you money or something?”

“No, you don’t!” Du Jingjing folded her arms.

“Then why do you keep pestering me?” Chu Tianfeng mirrored her gesture.

“As if I’d waste my time on you!” Du Jingjing turned away but suddenly shot up. “Another one?”

Everyone followed her gaze.

At the end of the lotus pond, a graceful figure was approaching.

A long dress swayed, and silky hair floated in the breeze.

It was Hua Wu!

Chu Tianfeng looked at Du Jingjing in confusion; she returned his gaze, equally perplexed.

The two of them exchanged puzzled looks, neither understanding what was happening.

“Sister-in-law!” Liu Qianqian was the first to stand and go to greet Hua Wu.

“Sister-in-law?!” Chu Tianfeng nearly toppled backward, saved only by Xu Yan’s quick support.

Du Jingjing looked equally shocked, her mouth hanging open.

Liu Qianqian hurried out of the pavilion to meet Hua Wu and escorted her back.

Soon, the two women returned to the pavilion, and everyone stood to greet them.

“Let me introduce you. This is my sister-in-law, Hua Wu,” Liu Qianqian announced with a wave. “These are my seniors, Qianling and Du Jingjing. As for these two…”

Liu Qianqian clearly did not know Xu Yan and Jiang Ziyue’s names, so she paused and looked at them.

“Hello, I’m Jiang Ziyue, and this is my classmate Xu Yan!” Jiang Ziyue offered her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Hua Wu replied with a gentle smile. “I was alone inside and feeling bored, so when I saw how lively it was here, I thought I’d join you. I hope you don’t mind.”

The other girls quickly assured her they did not and greeted her in turn.

“Wait!” Chu Tianfeng was the last to shake hands with Hua Wu. “You married which brother of hers?”

Chu Tianfeng knew he had a cousin—his aunt Liu Ziying’s son, whose name was something like Gao Yaqing.

“Senior, I have only one brother—Chu Tianfeng,” Liu Qianqian answered before anyone else. “Let’s all sit down.”

“What?” Chu Tianfeng nearly collapsed again. “When did you get married? Why is it... no one knows?”

His last hope was mercilessly crushed by Liu Qianqian.

He was both amused and exasperated. He’d heard of sisters dropping from the sky, but a wife? That was a first.

Du Jingjing’s face turned pale as she quietly moved to the edge of the pavilion.

Xu Yan’s face was equally clouded with worry, her brows knit in thought.

“Actually, we only got engaged at noon today,” Hua Wu said, pointing toward a distant villa. “My father is still inside talking with Old Master Liu.”

She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from them, but her own response upon hearing the news had been much the same.

To be honest, she felt nothing romantic toward Chu Tianfeng. It was true that he’d changed recently and piqued her curiosity, but that was all—she couldn’t call it love.

Hearing this, Chu Tianfeng felt even more indignant. “What right do they have to make decisions for me?”

“It has nothing to do with them,” Hua Wu replied, giving him a curious glance and gesturing for everyone to sit. “It seems the engagement was arranged by my Aunt Xiang and my father. I only found out recently myself.”

A bitter cry echoed in Chu Tianfeng’s heart. If this had been the work of Old Master Liu and the others, he’d have confronted them immediately. But if it was Chu Xiang, he was at a loss for words.

He owed Chu Xiang and her son far too much; he neither dared nor wished to go against her wishes.

Everyone sat down again. Liu Qianqian, wanting to accompany Hua Wu, moved to sit beside her.

Chu Tianfeng, distracted, found himself sitting next to Du Jingjing almost by accident.

“Did you go to the headquarters of the Salt Society last night?” Du Jingjing leaned wearily against the railing.

Chu Tianfeng remained silent, inwardly pondering how to back out of this farcical marriage.

“So you really didn’t go?” Du Jingjing asked softly.

To hell with you, Chu Tianfeng thought, not bothering to answer.

“I hope it wasn’t you,” Du Jingjing pressed. “Over two hundred people died. Our Special Operations Group will definitely investigate. I don’t want us to become enemies.”

Chu Tianfeng smirked and leaned sideways against her.

“Get off,” Du Jingjing rolled her eyes and pushed him away. “One more thing—my grandfather wants to offer you one percent of Dazhan Hall’s shares in exchange for the recipe for your medicine.”

“Forget it. I’ve heard your grandfather is a notorious miser. His money won’t be easy to get.” Chu Tianfeng replied offhandedly.

In the past, he would have handed over the recipe without a second thought. After all, Fire Dragon Fruit was nowhere to be found, and Du Sancai wouldn’t be able to do much with the recipe.

Still, Du Jingjing was a friend. As the saying went, it’s hard to exploit someone you know too well. Chu Tianfeng wasn’t born and raised on Earth and had no habit of cheating acquaintances.

“This is a deal worth over a billion. I hope you won’t regret it.” Du Jingjing pouted.

What? Over a billion?

“How about this—hold it for me for now. Let me think about it,” Chu Tianfeng said, rubbing his face.

A billion! How could he not be tempted?

If it were just tens of millions, it wouldn’t be worth it. His relationship with Du Jingjing wasn’t deep, but it wasn’t shallow either. Selling her out for such a sum would hardly seem worthwhile.

But a billion was a different story. In his mind, Du Jingjing certainly wasn’t worth that much.

Besides, she had already received a restorative pill from him—it could be considered the price of that elixir.

Du Jingjing, seeing his hesitation, secretly smiled but kept her face impassive. “You’d better hurry. This offer won’t last forever.”

“All right, I agree,” Chu Tianfeng slapped his thigh. “But let me be clear—the main ingredient in the recipe is extremely rare. I’ll provide the formula, but whether you can make it work is none of my concern.”

“Of course. That’s not your problem. Even if you wanted to get involved, we wouldn’t let you.” Du Jingjing extended her right palm. “Deal. No backing out.”

Chu Tianfeng placed his palm against hers. “It’s a promise.”

The other four women, startled by the sound, looked at the two of them in confusion.

“When’s the transaction?” Du Jingjing asked, glancing at Hua Wu.

“Uh…” Chu Tianfeng thought for a moment. “Next month. I’ll be back to take my English proficiency test then. We’ll settle the deal—cash for the recipe. But I don’t want shares—I want a full billion in cash.”

He wanted to focus on his recovery for now, and later, he needed to head to the Li Family’s territory for an auction.

“Are you crazy? Why not take the shares?” Du Jingjing asked, curious.

“I’m impatient by nature. I like one-off deals,” Chu Tianfeng replied without hesitation.

In truth, he didn’t want too many dealings with the Du family. Better to settle everything at once—if they discovered the main ingredient was a problem, they couldn’t come looking for him again.

“All right, I’ll wait for your call,” Du Jingjing agreed readily.

“What kind of deal is worth a billion?” Jiang Ziyue couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m selling myself,” Chu Tianfeng replied gloomily.

Xu Yan felt a pang of sorrow—tears welled in her eyes. She quickly turned away to wipe them, and when she looked back, she wore her usual bright smile.

“Hmph!” Jiang Ziyue was oblivious, still playfully sidling up to Du Jingjing. “Jingjing—”

“Enough!” Du Jingjing cut her off with a time-out gesture. “I’m not hiring child labor.”