Chapter 32: Sky-High Price

Su Tan was drinking water in the courtyard, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips. Grandmaster Xu was awake. He knew Grandmaster Xu would wake up today, and he knew the man would come to visit. Everything was within his expectations.

"You're awake? Then come in!" Su Tan said softly as he poured a cup of water.

"Thank you, Mr. Su!" Xu Xiuwu said weakly, offering a respectful bow.

The others opened the courtyard gates and pushed Grandmaster Xu in a wooden wheelchair over to the large tree, right next to Su Tan. Just as Grandmaster Xu was about to speak, Su Tan gently pushed the cup of water he had just poured in front of him.

"Here, drink more hot water. It's good for your health!" Su Tan said.

Hot water? Grandmaster Xu was puzzled. Would this thing really help? Despite his doubts, he still offered his thanks and let Jiu feed it to him.

"Thank you!"

Su Tan smiled. "No need to thank me. I rarely drink hot water myself. I prepared it specifically because you were coming today."

He usually avoided hot water for fear of accidentally scalding himself, so he rarely used it.

"You knew I was coming, sir?" Xu Xiuwu was stunned.

The more he looked at Su Tan, the more mysterious the man seemed. That perpetually calm, unruffled expression—Xu Xiuwu had noticed it the very first time they met. Back then, however, he had merely assumed it was an act. Thinking back on it now, that assumption was truly laughable.

Su Tan was completely unfathomable!

He had foreseen his cultivation deviation, the eruption of uncontrollable Spiritual Power within his body, and even the assassination attempt by five top-tier experts along with its ultimate outcome. He had predicted every single detail. How could this be the work of a God Stick? This was clearly the work of a hidden expert.

Su Tan offered no explanation, but his expression alone told Xu Xiuwu that there was nothing strange about him knowing of this visit.

"Drink the water first; it's good for your body."

Hot water was a universal Miracle Medicine. Su Tan had known this since his previous life. The only downside was that it tended to cost a man his girlfriend.

GULP GULP GULP.

Hearing this, how could Xu Xiuwu hesitate for even a second? He downed the cup of hot water in a few swallows, not even minding the scalding temperature.

"Of course. You can predict things with divine accuracy, sir. Since you could foresee that I would face a tribulation that day, predicting that I would wake up and visit today is a simple matter for you!" Xu Xiuwu said, his voice still somewhat weak.

Su Tan's display of foresight once again left the Xu Family in awe. Unknowingly, a strange thought took root in their minds: nothing could hide from Su Tan's eyes. Even though he couldn't even see, this gentleman, this grandmaster, saw things far more clearly than those who had vision. Ordinary people might only see what was physically in front of them, but Mr. Su could see the unseen—the human heart, the future. Everything was firmly within his grasp!

Su Tan, of course, knew that Xu Xiuwu would wake up today. He didn't bother explaining anything to the curious onlookers, merely offering a cryptic half-smile to deliberately cultivate an air of mystery. If he wanted to extract some benefits from the Xu Family, this was the way to do it.

Su Tan knew how to negotiate. Whether in this world or back on Earth, whether it was a political summit or a business deal, the rule of the game was always the same: survival of the fittest! Only when one was strong would they find friends wherever they went.

"I can see that you've just woken up. Your mind is clear, and though your voice is weak, your speech is coherent. You're recovering quite well!" Su Tan said.

"I still have to thank you for saving me, Grandmaster. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been doomed!" Xu Xiuwu said.

"There's no need to thank me!" Su Tan waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to thank me because I didn't save you for nothing. I only saved you for profit!"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Do you still remember our original bet?" Su Tan asked mildly. Now, it was time for him to reap the rewards.

"Naturally, I remember. Rest assured, sir, I always keep my word!

"Starting today, the villagers of Chen Family Village are exempt from paying taxes to the Xu Family indefinitely. Furthermore, the Xu Family will present you with one hundred thousand taels of gold as a token of our respect!" Xu Xiuwu promised without a second of hesitation.

"No, no, no. You've remembered it wrong. Our original agreement was only to reduce the Chen Family Village's taxes by ninety percent. Moreover, the amount wagered in our bet was only one thousand gold. I have always meant exactly what I say, and I will not take advantage of others. Since the terms were set back then, they cannot be changed now!" Su Tan stated.

Hearing this, Xu Xiuwu's heart tightened, and his brows furrowed slightly. What was Su Tan trying to do? If Su Tan had accepted his generosity, Xu Xiuwu would have felt at ease. But since Su Tan refused, things became complicated. What did he actually want? A trace of unease flickered in Xu Xiuwu's heart!

"That was just our original bet, and it was later proven that my prediction was indeed correct. You must concede when you lose a bet, and I believe you aren't someone who would renege on a debt," Su Tan said.

"I pride myself on being an upright man who has never broken a promise!" Xu Xiuwu declared.

Upon hearing this, Su Tan gave Xu Xiuwu a thumbs up. "I really like a good man like you, Xu. However, even blood brothers must keep their accounts clear. We've settled the matter of the bet, but the matter of me saving your life... that hasn't been settled yet!"

His breezy and casual tone made the Xu Family feel as though the dead of winter had descended upon them. Instantly, the courtyard became dead silent. Su Tan was planning to demand an exorbitant price.

What did he want?

"I wonder, sir... what is it that you want?"

The truth was, Su Tan did indeed plan to demand an exorbitant price.

SPLASH.

Su Tan didn't answer right away. He poured himself a cup of water, and then poured one for Xu Xiuwu. By pouring water, he could control the pacing of the conversation, effectively dominating the flow of the negotiation. Su Tan had often done this during business negotiations in his past life. Of course, this required a specific prerequisite: you had to be powerful enough. Otherwise, anything you said was just empty talk.

GULP.

Su Tan sipped the cup of water as if he were tasting Jade Dew.

"I want...

"I want the Xu Family to pay me a tribute of thirty percent of your total annual income from now on!" Su Tan finally declared.

His words fell on the ears of the Xu Family like a machine gun firing across a tranquil lake, instantly shattering the peace.

"What... thirty... thirty percent... That's impossible! Do you have any idea how much thirty percent of the Xu Family's annual income is?" a branch family member blurted out upon hearing this.

Branch family members? What were they good for? They existed to take the fall! They were the scapegoats who spoke up when the main lineage found it inconvenient to do so.

"Forty percent!" Su Tan didn't offer any explanations or argue. He simply changed thirty percent to forty percent. His calmness was terrifying.

The unnamed branch family member opened his mouth... but didn't dare to speak another word. Su Tan's imposing aura was far too overwhelming. Moreover, he was terrified that if he uttered even a single syllable, Su Tan would raise the price again. That would be completely disastrous.

He looked over at Grandmaster Xu, whose expression was exceedingly grim.

A heavy silence blanketed the courtyard. Aside from the occasional clopping of hooves and animal cries outside, the SWISH of the wind, and the chirping of birds in the trees, there was nothing else. The silence was so profound that they could almost hear their own heartbeats.

After a long while.

Grandmaster Xu took a deep breath, looked at Su Tan, and said heavily, "Fine! Forty percent it is!!!"

From start to finish, he didn't utter a single extraneous word. But by opening his mouth, he had committed to a monumental astronomical price!