Chapter 279: Chapter 279 Still Have to Pay Money_1
"Sect Leader, don’t ask for so much..."
Just as Su Xuan said he would give Du Zilong five million, the very pretty junior sister in cloth shoes tugged at Du Zilong’s sleeve. Her name was Ji Xiaoxuan.
She knew perfectly well that the Old Sect Leader hadn’t been killed by Butler Liu. She was there during the spar, and Butler Liu truly held back; he hadn’t used any serious force. After the fight, the Old Sect Leader had indeed left on his own, completely unscathed. His death was likely related to his heart condition. His heart was already in poor shape, and combined with the alcohol he drank that day, it led to this... Asking them for five million was no different from extortion.
"Master, we can’t give them that much money!" Old Butler Liu also whispered to Su Xuan. "Right after the incident, they didn’t ask for five million, just five hundred thousand. This is blatant extortion. Besides, it’s not just about the money. They have another demand, which is..."
"That’s right, I have another demand!" Du Zilong interrupted Old Butler Liu, lifting his chin. "After you pay us, Ruyi Tai Chi must also take down its plaque!"
"Take down its plaque?" Su Xuan didn’t really understand the customs of the martial world, so he asked Old Butler Liu, "You have a plaque up for business?"
Old Butler Liu has always been the butler in my mansion... I’ve never seen him do anything else. Could he be secretly running a school and taking disciples to earn extra money?
"Not at all," Old Butler Liu said, glancing at Du Zilong. He explained, "What he means by ’taking down the plaque’ is to have Ruyi Tai Chi erased from the martial world. From now on, the martial art of Ruyi Tai Chi would cease to exist!"
Du Zilong nodded. "Yes, that was my father’s dying wish. Otherwise, we can’t settle this score for him!"
"Impossible!" Old Butler Liu stated flatly. "I can agree to anything else, but taking down the plaque is out of the question!"
"Old Liu," Su Xuan said, seeming to understand something. "Back when they asked you for five hundred thousand, you could have afforded it, right?"
Old Butler Liu’s salary wasn’t low, and he’d been a butler for many years. He didn’t have any major expenses and could definitely come up with five hundred thousand.
"Yes." As expected, Old Butler Liu nodded. "I could give them five hundred thousand, but I just can’t accept taking down the plaque!"
"Then your face and teeth..." Su Xuan looked at Old Butler Liu’s bruised face. "Did they beat you because you refused to take down the plaque?"
Old Butler Liu lowered his head and said nothing.
Su Xuan spoke to him again. "Are you sure you don’t want to take it down? It’s not like you rely on it for a living. Isn’t trading it for some peace and quiet a good deal?"
"No way!" Old Butler Liu, not realizing Su Xuan was testing him, raised his hand and gestured seriously in the air. "You learned Ruyi Tai Chi from me, which makes you my disciple, and I have to be responsible for you. I can fail my ancestors, but I cannot fail you. If I take down the plaque, I would be betraying you! I... I would be too ashamed to face you! The plaque represents my honor as your master—it’s my life!"
During his recent trip home to pay respects to his ancestors, he had sworn at their graves that he would pass down Ruyi Tai Chi perfectly because he had found an excellent disciple.
"I understand," Su Xuan said, his expression turning serious as well. For the first time, he understood just how much people from the martial world valued their ’plaque,’ which was, in essence, their reputation.
He then turned to Du Zilong. "Our bottom line is this: you can have the money, but the plaque stays. What’s your decision?"
"If..." Du Zilong’s lips twitched. "If you really give us five million, then the plaque... we won’t make you take it down."
"Sect Leader, you..." A man with a dark complexion beside Du Zilong couldn’t help but protest, "Sect Leader, you can’t do this! We must get compensation, but we must also take down their plaque! Otherwise, how will we face our departed Old Sect Leader?"
"Yuan Zheng, are you the Sect Leader, or am I?" Du Zilong scolded, his face darkening. The man was his cousin, Du Yuanzheng, who had grown up in his home.
"So, it all boils down to money, doesn’t it?" Su Xuan’s lips suddenly curved into a faint smile as he said lightly, "In that case, let’s have a proper chat about money!"
"How so?" Du Zilong asked. He was desperate for money; the sect’s funds were dwindling, and he could no longer afford to support so many members.
"Oh, that’s simple. I can give you five million without a second thought. However..." Su Xuan suddenly walked over to the courtyard gate and inspected it. "This gate of mine is quite old. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a cultural relic. Who was it that kicked my gate just now? You’ve kicked the paint right off, and it looks like it’s cracked. You’ll have to compensate me for that."
"Master, our gate was appraised once. One door is worth ten million, so two doors are worth twenty million," Old Butler Liu immediately understood Su Xuan’s meaning. He also went to inspect the gate and added, "This damage will cost at least five million to repair!"
What?! Du Zilong and his men were dumbfounded. Two shabby-looking wooden gates are worth twenty million?
Du Zilong immediately shot a glare at his cousin, Du Yuanzheng. He had been the one kicking the gate most furiously.
But Su Xuan wasn’t finished. He pointed a finger at his mansion. "I bought this mansion for over a billion. You could say my butler is in charge of a billion-yuan estate, right? You not only slapped him but also knocked out his front tooth. You’ll have to compensate for that, too. I’m thinking another five million should cover it!"
"No need, no need," Old Butler Liu said, suppressing a laugh and shaking his head. "A million or two should be enough."
"Damn!" Du Zilong couldn’t stop himself from swearing.
Based on Su Xuan’s math, not only would he not get five million in compensation, but he would end up owing a huge sum of money!
"What about it?" Su Xuan tilted his head slightly, looking at Du Zilong. "You don’t want to pay? If you don’t pay, I’m not letting you leave."
"You’re too arrogant!" Cousin Du Yuanzheng’s face flushed with anger as he roared, "A pretty boy like you? I could take out ten of you with one punch! You think you can stop us if we want to leave?"
"You want to leave?" Su Xuan smiled and opened the main gate wide. "I’m actually a very reasonable person. Since you want to leave, I’ll let you go. But remember this: once you step out of this gate, the feud between you and my Old Liu is over."
He didn’t actually want to make things difficult for them. He could understand that they had lost someone and needed to vent. If he could resolve the grudge between them, that would be for the best.
"Uh... are you trying to trick me?" Du Yuanzheng was completely baffled.
I don’t want to leave! How did it come to this? Should I leave or not?
"Let’s do this, then!" Du Zilong, the Sect Leader of Du’s Tai Chi, suddenly declared, "Let’s settle this according to the rules of the martial world—with our fists!"