Pill Saint, Weapon Emperor, Array God, Unparalleled in the World

Ding Buqun closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and nodded firmly.

"Alright... I've returned all 30,000 spirit stones I took from those people, and I'll give you another 30,000 as compensation. Is that acceptable?"

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

"No rush, are you admitting you took 30,000 from me?"

Ding Buqun was taken aback, his heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

"I did... take 30,000."

Luo Chen chuckled, but his expression was unreadable.

"Alright, since you admit it, then we'll proceed according to the rules. The penalty for stealing is a hundredfold, so you owe me 30,000 spirit stones, or 3 million spirit stones in total."

"What? Three...three million?!"

Ding Buqun suddenly looked up, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

This is a joke, it's absolutely a joke.

Is there a rule in the world that guarantees a 100-fold return?

The Ding family members were completely dumbfounded.

Paying 30,000 to lose 3 million? What kind of logic is that?!

One of the Ding family members couldn't help but rush out and shout, "You surnamed Luo! You're trying to drive my Ding family to ruin! Three million spirit stones—even if we sold the entire Ding family estate, we couldn't raise that much!"

Another shouted, "Master! Fight him! This is outrageous!"

"Yes! Let's fight! Even if it means we all die together!"

"No matter how good he is, he only has three people! Let's wear him down!"

The crowd was outraged. Someone took half a step forward, but the hand gripping the knife hilt was trembling.

Luo Chen glanced at those people, his gaze sweeping slowly across each face as if he were looking at a pack of barking dogs.

"Your comprehension skills are quite good."

"I'm going to push you to your doom. You disagree? Come on, let's fight."

He took a step forward and held the ink-black sword horizontally to his side.

"Since you believe your lives are worth only three million spirit stones, then I'll reluctantly grant your wish. Once you're dead, I'll take over all of the Ding family's assets, saving me the trouble of negotiating prices with you."

After those words were spoken, all the people who had been shouting fell silent.

The man's grip on the knife tightened and loosened repeatedly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times.

spell?

What can we use to put it together?

Just now, more than a dozen grandmasters attacked together, and they were all taken down in the blink of an eye.

The patriarch, a Grandmaster at the first level, unleashed a full-force strike, only to be cleaved away by the opponent's sword, along with his blade.

Charging in would only lead to certain death.

It's better to rush in early and die early; rush in first and die first.

The first few who had been shouting quietly took a half step back, their eyes darting around nervously.

Ding Buqun felt both angry and sad as he watched his clansmen shrink back.

He wanted to try, but he couldn't.

He himself was not afraid of death, but what about the Ding family's centuries-old legacy?

What about these people?

How can I face my ancestors after I die?

Ding Buqun took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the surging anger.

"Luo Chen..."

"You have to give me some time. I can't come up with three million; I have to borrow it. Three days... give me three days, and I'll personally deliver it to your residence."

Luo Chen looked down at him, his face expressionless, but his gaze turned cold.

"Three days? No, I'll wait for you for only three hours."

Ding Buqun sat up abruptly, his face full of anxiety.

"How could we possibly borrow three million spirit stones in three hours! Luo Chen, can't you be a little more understanding?!"

Luo Chen looked at him, devoid of any emotion.

"That's your problem. I'll only wait three hours. If I don't see three million spirit stones by then..."

He paused for a moment and glanced at the Ding family members.

"Don't blame me for not waiting for you."

Ding Buqun was startled.

He stared into Luo Chen's eyes, and saw no room for negotiation whatsoever.

This kid is too shrewd; they're preventing him from going to get reinforcements.

Three days is enough time for him to send someone to the Crimson Flame Sect to report the news. Even if he were on horseback, he couldn't escape Luosha City in three hours.

Ding Buqun gritted his teeth and finally closed his eyes tightly.

"Alright! Three hours it is!"

He pushed himself up, swaying slightly, the blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth.

"But I have one condition: you must promise me that after you pay three million spirit stones, you will not harm any member of my Ding family."

Luo Chen nodded.

"A wise man submits to circumstances, and Patriarch Ding is a sensible one. I have no interest in harming your Ding family; I only want to retrieve the spirit stones and compensation. If they choose to die, then they can't blame me."

Ding Buqun stared at him for three breaths, making sure there was no exaggeration in his words, before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I believe you."

He turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Luo Chen's voice came from behind him.

"etc."

Ding Buqun paused, turned around and looked at him.

Luo Chen raised his chin.

"Before you leave, summon the entire Ding family here, not a single one can be missing."

Ding Buqun's pupils contracted.

"What do you mean by that? Are you afraid I'll run away?"

Luo Chen smiled and nodded approvingly.

"That's what I mean by clever. There are too many shameless people who only care about themselves these days, so I have to keep some safeguards in place. For every incense stick's worth of time you're late returning, I'll kill one of you, until you come back and hand over the spirit stones."

Ding Buqun's face turned extremely ugly, his lips trembled several times, and in the end he could only squeeze out one sentence.

"...Alright! Third brother, go! Call the whole family over!"

Ding Wei, supporting himself with his severed arm, stood up, glared venomously at Luo Chen, and then turned and went into the inner courtyard.

Before long, the entire Ding family, young and old, were summoned to the front yard.

A large group of women and children stood there, their faces filled with fear and confusion. Some were secretly wiping away tears, while others were huddled together, trembling.

Luo Chen glanced at the women and children and instructed Liu Feng, "Just keep an eye on them, don't touch them."

Liu Feng paused for a moment, then nodded.

He thought to himself that although the patriarch's move was ruthless, he had a clear sense of proportion. He took people hostage but did not hurt them, which was much better than those who actually killed people.

As Wang Tie watched Luo Chen's retreating figure, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

He understood why the patriarch hadn't killed Ding Buqun.

If we kill Ding Buqun and seize the Ding family's property, then the three million spirit stones will be completely wasted.

It's a million times better to spare his life and force him to borrow spirit stones than to search high and low yourself.

Killing someone is easy, but destroying their spirit is difficult.

The head of the family is trying to eliminate Ding Buqun's ambition, making him obediently deliver the goods to his door.

Wang Tie couldn't help but admire him even more; following someone like that wouldn't be a bad deal.

Ding Buqun glanced at his family members gathered in the front yard, his throat tightening.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and strode out of the mansion gate with quick, hurried steps.

If you are even a fraction of an incense stick late, a family member will die, and you won't even know who it will be.

At that moment, he truly regretted it.

He regretted touching the spirit stone of the god of death.

There were only a few places in Luosha City that could lend spirit stones, so he had to kowtow to each one.

After Ding Buqun left, the front yard of the Ding family was unusually quiet.

The women and children huddled together, not daring to breathe.

Several bold members of the Ding family stood on the perimeter, clenching their fists and staring at Luo Chen, none of them daring to take a single step forward.

Luo Chen moved a chair and sat down in the middle of the courtyard, placing the ink sword across his lap and closing his eyes to rest.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile always lingered at the corners of his mouth.

He calmly waited for Ding Buqun to hand over the spirit stones with both hands.