Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Ownership of Panlong City

Boom! Crack! Bang! The roar of explosions, the sound of shattering, muffled thuds—all manner of noises tangled together in chaos as waves of energy swept in every direction...

At some unknown moment, a gleaming white blade had been thrust into the blood-soaked courtyard, and the somber black sedan chair adorned with golden patterns had vanished without a trace.

Within the Zhang family’s council hall, Lin Fan sat at the seat of honor, pale but composed, silently observing Mo Li Wuya. After a long pause, he suddenly smiled.

“Senior Mo, are you saying that you’ll take all the rare treasures of the Zhang family, while the mines, commercial streets, and shops will be converted into silver and given to the Mo family? Meanwhile, my Lin family will pay four hundred million in silver to purchase the Mo family’s mines and shops?”

An hour had passed since Zhang Wangshan was slain. Lin Fan had originally planned to divide the Zhang family’s assets with the Mo family, as per their alliance.

Currently, the Zhang family owned two commercial streets, thirty-two shops, and seventeen mines—far more lucrative than the small shops and streets of Xiao Bei City. Just the two commercial streets and thirty-two shops brought in nearly one million nine hundred thousand silver each month.

The seventeen mines were even more profitable, yielding about three million five hundred thousand silver monthly.

These were fixed assets of the Zhang family.

In their treasury, there were over two hundred banknotes, each worth one hundred thousand silver—a total exceeding twenty million! As for divine weapons, rare materials, accumulated minerals—in all, their value surpassed ten million silver.

Surveying it all, Lin Fan deeply understood the old adage: “A horse cannot fatten without grazing at night.” This was it.

He began to grasp why so many chose the path of banditry and highway robbery.

Yet this was not his chief concern at the moment; what mattered most was Mo Li Wuya’s proposal.

Excluding fixed assets, all other Zhang family possessions together totaled over thirty million in silver—set to be taken by Mo Li Wuya.

The mines could still be exploited for another twenty years; if sold outright, they’d be worth about eight hundred million, but in reality, no one would buy them at that price due to the threat of competing powers. At best, they’d fetch three hundred million. The commercial streets and shops were valued at four hundred million.

Originally, Lin Fan expected to receive half of the twenty million silver and rare treasures, half the mines, and half the commercial assets.

Now, Mo Li Wuya would take all the silver and treasures, but Lin Fan only needed to pay one hundred million for the mines, fifty million for the commercial streets and shops, and Mo Li Wuya would relinquish them entirely.

Furthermore, Mo Li Wuya promised to sell all the Mo family’s fixed assets to Lin Fan at a low price.

The Mo family’s fixed assets were at least as valuable as those of the Zhang family, sold for four hundred million, and they pledged to withdraw from Panlong City, never to return.

In other words, for five hundred and fifty million silver, Lin Fan could acquire all the mines in Panlong City, four commercial streets, and over eighty scattered shops.

Most importantly, if the Lin family relocated here, they would become the unrivaled power of Panlong City.

“Senior Mo, you’re not deceiving me, are you?” Lin Fan smiled again. To be honest, five hundred and fifty million for all of Panlong City was so favorable, he suspected it was a scam.

Consider this: just the mines, commercial streets, and shops would generate over nine million silver per month for the Lin family.

Compared to their current earnings of only two hundred thousand per month in Xiao Bei City, the difference was heaven and earth.

Nine million a month—nearly a hundred million a year. In five years, that’s five hundred million.

To purchase such assets for five hundred and fifty million was truly a bargain.

“Haha! If you doubt me, Lin, I can draw up a contract. The reason for such a low price is that our Mo family has been summoned back to the main house,” Mo Li Wuya laughed heartily. Truth be told, he held high hopes for this young man.

Gifted and precocious, already a cultivator at the Qi Drawing stage, his actual combat prowess rivaled the Qi Vein stage.

Mo Li Wuya had already heard about Lin Fan’s feats in Qingxue County, beating up the young elite Qin Long, a Qi Vein cultivator—no small achievement.

Moreover, during the destruction of the Zhang family, Lin Fan’s calm and steady manner struck Mo Li Wuya as admirable.

If not for the main house recalling the Mo family, Mo Li Wuya would have had two options regarding a talent like Lin Fan: either eliminate him early, or forge a deep alliance.

Otherwise, once Lin Fan matured in Qingxue County, his family would be the first to be overshadowed.

Now that the Mo family was leaving for the main house, Mo Li Wuya wouldn’t risk antagonizing Lin Fan; distance would prevent future conflicts, so he preferred to establish goodwill.

Who knows when such a connection might prove useful?

Never underestimate the young or the poor—a timeless truth.

Thirty years for the east bank, thirty for the west; if Lin Fan ever rose from this small pond to become a true dragon, Mo Li Wuya might need his help.

Of course, low pricing wasn’t solely for the sake of future reliance—there was some consideration, but not much, since the future is uncertain.

Besides, his main house was powerful beyond measure; even if Lin Fan became a true dragon, that would be a matter for another day.

Within the main house, true dragons were not uncommon—the young lady herself was one, having reached the Qi Channel stage at eighteen. If nothing unforeseen happened, she would surely attain the River Realm, with at least a fifty percent chance of ascending higher within her lifetime.

The reason for the bargain was simply urgency: Mo Li Wuya needed to return, and there were few buyers willing to pay high prices for such assets on short notice.

He couldn’t wait, and since he appreciated Lin Fan, he decided to let things flow naturally.

“Since you are so straightforward, senior Mo, I’ll buy them. But I don’t have enough silver on hand at the moment—I’ll need some time,” Lin Fan replied, matching Mo Li Wuya’s candor with a smile.

Mo Li Wuya considered for a moment. “A month at most. During this month, our Mo family will pack up and recall our members. After that, we will leave Panlong City directly.”

“Good, it’s a deal!” Lin Fan nodded, then turned to Zhang Yi behind him. “Take senior Mo to the treasury and help him collect the silver and rare treasures. I’ll step out for a bit.”

With that, Lin Fan rose, bowed slightly to Mo Li Wuya, and after receiving a courteous nod in return, exited the Zhang residence. Passing by the snowy piles, he casually drew the blade and tucked it at his waist.

“Five hundred and fifty million… In all my life, I’ve never seen five hundred and fifty million, nor even fifty thousand silver!” Upon leaving the Zhang family gates, Lin Fan’s brows furrowed.

Truthfully, he had no clue where to find such a sum.

He had agreed to the deal just now because Panlong City, along with its commercial streets and mines, was crucial for the Lin family at this moment.

This was the key to the Lin family’s rise.

Since entering Qingxue County, Lin Fan understood that Xiao Bei City belonged to the Xiao family, under Xiao Shuihan’s father.

Though the Lin family had yet to conflict with the Xiao family, it was only because they lacked power. If they ever grew to match the Zhang family’s strength, the Lin family would face two choices: either become subservient to the Xiao family, or leave Xiao Bei City.

Lin Fan believed that even if his family equaled the Zhang family in power, the Xiao family wouldn’t necessarily attack them, given his close ties with Xiao Shuihan and conversations with her father, Xiao Jianhao.

The real issue was that, regardless of confrontation, developing in Xiao Bei City was impossible—the place was simply too small and lacked resources.

Unless one monopolized the city, seizing all mines and businesses belonging to the Xiao family, growth was stifled.

Originally, Lin Fan considered that their weak status would make it hard to prosper anywhere; perhaps it was best to remain in Xiao Bei City, since without sufficient income, the Lin family couldn’t develop for at least ten or twenty years.

By the time he returned from the academy, his strength would likely reach a new stage, and then taking over a city would be child’s play.

Even recruiting Zhang Yi and destroying the Zhang family was a move to deepen the Lin family’s foundation and reduce threats.

It would also serve as a warning to other clans.

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