Chapter Twenty: A Token of Allegiance

"What? Two billion!?"

Hearing this demand, Cui Youliang felt like crying. He thought to himself, *I knew it, he's going to ask for more!*

However, two billion was a staggering sum, even for a top-tier wealthy family like the Cuis; they couldn't possibly produce that amount instantly.

"Young man... no, no, no... Immortal... Great Master... that..."

Old Master Cui cycled through several honorifics, finally settling on "Great Master," which felt appropriate for the god-like young man standing before him.

"About that... can we discuss this?"

"I will pay the two billion! But could you grant us a few days?"

Ye Feng replied coldly, "What makes you think you are in a position to bargain with me? Keep babbling, and the ransom goes up to three billion!"

"Great Master..." Old Master Cui said with a bitter face, "Two or three billion isn't the issue. It's just that even if my family works through the night, we cannot gather that much cash all at once."

"Besides, the banks are closed now; there is no way to prepare the funds."

"I truly dare not bargain with you, Great Master, it is simply that I am in a difficult position."

At this point, Bai Weiwei interjected, "He's right. It's so late, it's impossible to transfer that much money. Why not give the Cui family three days?"

For a family of the Cui family’s stature, three days was enough time to prepare.

"Fine, I can grant you a few days," Ye Feng conceded. "But the interest will be one hundred million per day!"

"Agreed..." Old Master Cui gritted his teeth and accepted.

A defeated commander has no room to bargain. He was just grateful to be leaving with his life.

"If I don't see the money in three days," Ye Feng said, pointing to Master Yu lying on the ground, "you and your son will end up just like him!"

Hearing this, the father and son broke out in a cold sweat, stammering that they wouldn't dare.

"That's enough. Take your people and get out of here!" Ye Feng waved his hand impatiently.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Goodbye, Great Master... Goodbye, Miss Bai..."

The Cui father and son, as if granted a pardon, scrambled away with their remaining thugs, carrying the unconscious Master Yu and the other beaten-up henchmen.

***

They didn't stop to catch their breath until they reached the foot of the mountain.

"Dad... do we really have to give them two billion?"

The mere thought of paying that amount made Cui Youliang’s heart ache. Now that they were safe, he was already secretly contemplating reneging on the deal.

After all, their family was powerful and wealthy in Yanjing; why should they fear one boy?

"What!? You want to welch on the deal?" Old Master Cui slapped his son across the head and scolded him harshly. "Do you think we aren't in enough trouble as it is?"

"Look at Master Yu—such a powerful master, and he was taken down in one move by that man!"

"If he comes looking for us in three days, what chance do we have of survival?"

"Sigh..." Cui Youliang sighed heavily, regretting that they had come to the Bai family’s villa looking for trouble.

They had failed to rob the place and ended up being extorted instead. Who could they even complain to?

"Think of this two billion as an 'offering of allegiance'!" Old Master Cui said, surprisingly open-minded about it; he even saw a rare opportunity in this disaster.

"An offering of allegiance? What do you mean?" Cui Youliang was confused, not understanding what his father was driving at.

"I mean, the Bai family might be on the verge of a comeback!" Old Master Cui said with conviction.

"Twenty years ago, we were able to build our wealth thanks to that boy, Bai Shouqi. Perhaps twenty years later, we can hitch a ride on the Bai family’s coattails once again and reach new heights!"

***

Inside the villa, Bai Weiwei had a thousand words on her mind, but she didn't know where to begin. In the end, she expressed her stance with three simple words.

"I believe you."

Ye Feng nodded. Although he had been doubted by Bai Weiwei at first, it was only a matter of time before he won her trust with his strength. The Cui father and son had simply accelerated that process.

"What do you plan to do to help our family make a comeback?" Bai Weiwei asked curiously. "Did my brother leave any instructions?"

"Your brother said that you possess the same talent he had—exceptional business acumen!" Ye Feng replied. "He wants you to assist me in rebuilding a business empire!"

Hearing this, Bai Weiwei's eyes reddened with emotion. She hadn't expected her brother to hold her in such high regard.

She was indeed a genius with a photographic memory. Having grown up by her brother's side, she had absorbed his skills and was fully capable of standing on her own, but the Bai family had collapsed before she could prove herself. She had been waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity.

And now, Ye Feng had arrived to provide her with everything she needed.

"The two billion we're getting from the Cui family will serve as the startup capital," Ye Feng planned.

"That's not enough!" Bai Weiwei’s expression shifted, as if she had transformed into a ruthless corporate powerhouse. "Two billion is not enough for what the Cui family owes us!"

"Besides the Cui family, there are four others. Without my brother's past support, how could those five families be as powerful as they are today? I want them to cough up double what they owe!"

Ye Feng nodded. "Since there are so many debts of gratitude, we will collect them all in three days."

"Let the Cui family notify the other four great families. Tell them to come and see me together!"

With Ye Feng's powerful intervention, Bai Weiwei had no doubt that the five families who had once bowed to them would be forced to kneel again.

It was just a pity that her brother would never see the glory of their resurgence.

"Oh, right," Ye Feng said, just as he was about to head upstairs to rest. He turned back and added, "You were wrong about something earlier—or rather, it wasn't quite accurate."

"You attributed your brother's failure to his lack of a powerful backer. That was only one factor."

"Do you know what your brother said about his own failure?"

Bai Weiwei shook her head.

"He believed that the reason he failed was simply that he didn't have enough money," Ye Feng said, encouraging her.

"As long as we earn enough money, it's not impossible to even buy your brother's way out of prison in the future!"

"Everything has a price; it just depends on whether you can afford it."