Chapter 449: Offend a Grandmaster, There’s Death Without Life!
"Honey, is this guy a shill?" the wealthy businessman’s wife asked, sidling up to him and whispering.
A shill? The businessman’s eyes lit up. Right. He must be a shill! Otherwise, how could such a young kid develop a massive project like Coiling Dragon Bay? Besides, I’ve never heard of such a person in Jiangling.
"Hmph, nice acting," the businessman huffed. "You almost had me fooled."
Lin Mu simply smiled. "As long as you’re happy."
The businessman was speechless. Who does this kid think he’s talking to?
Just as he was about to retort, a surprised voice suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Lin!"
Long Ao and Hua Meiniang came over, looking at Lin Mu with excitement.
"Mr. Lin, what are you doing here?" Long Ao sounded somewhat fearful upon seeing Lin Mu. Hua Meiniang, meanwhile, just glared at him without a word.
"I developed this property," Lin Mu said. "Are you two here to buy a house?"
"Ah? Mr. Lin, this is really your company?" Long Ao was startled. He had personally investigated the Coiling Dragon Bay project. As the largest real estate project in Jiangling, it was naturally the center of attention. The price of one hundred thousand per square meter alone made the entire development incredibly hot, but in reality, very few people were buying. Long Ao could never have imagined that this property belonged to Lin Mu.
"Yes. How are things over in Jiangbei?" Lin Mu asked, changing the subject.
Long Ao quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Mr. Lin. With me overseeing Jiangbei, there won’t be any trouble." After a pause, he added, "Brother Liu was supposed to come with us, but he got held up and will be here a bit later."
Liu Zijian is coming to Jiangling? Lin Mu was taken aback, as he had no idea.
Long Ao chuckled. "He heard about Coiling Dragon Bay, this paradise on earth in Jiangling, so Brother Liu was planning to buy a place for himself."
Lin Mu gave a wry smile. "Why would he need to buy one? I’ve already prepared a villa for him."
"Really?" Long Ao said with envy. "Brother Liu has a great big brother like you, Mr. Lin. I’m truly envious."
Long Ao was both awed and terrified of Lin Mu. This man was currently ranked tenth on the Martial Arts Grandmaster list, an existence even the Crane Immortal Sect had to respect. Not to mention, his reputation in the Martial Arts World was now terrifyingly immense. Stories of him wielding divine arts or annihilating entire sects with a single sword were circulating wildly.
Meanwhile, the wealthy businessman was staring, completely dumbfounded. This young man I’ve been looking down on is actually the developer of the Coiling Dragon Bay project? This is really... At that thought, the businessman had the immediate urge to leave.
Just then, a loud laugh echoed. "Young Master Mu, I didn’t expect to run into you here."
"Mr. Lin, we meet again," another voice added.
It was Sun Tianyang and Zheng Mingye.
Seeing them, the businessman gasped, "Zheng Mingwang!" The old man in the traditional Tang suit was none other than the wealthiest man in Jiangling, Zheng Mingwang. Although the businessman didn’t recognize the other man beside him, he knew that anyone walking with Zheng Mingwang must have a high status. One of the arrivals called Lin Mu ’Young Master Mu,’ and the other called him ’Mr. Lin.’ Doesn’t that mean Lin Mu’s status is even more terrifying than I imagined? The businessman’s face went pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"What are you two doing here?" Lin Mu asked, surprised to see Sun Tianyang and Zheng Mingye arrive together.
Sun Tianyang chuckled. "I bought an apartment in Coiling Dragon Bay. I’m just here to handle the paperwork."
Zheng Mingye’s face darkened, and he said with some discontent, "Mr. Lin, speaking of that, I have a complaint."
"Go on," Lin Mu said, holding back a laugh.
Zheng Mingye huffed, "Master Sun and I both called you, so why is his price eighty thousand per square meter while I have to pay one hundred thousand?"
"So, do you want it or not?" Lin Mu replied. "You haven’t signed the papers yet."
"I do!" Zheng Mingye said in a panic. "Of course I do! I’ve already got the money ready!"
Seeing Zheng Mingye’s reaction, Sun Tianyang burst into hearty laughter.
Lin Mu gestured to a salesperson. "Xiao Juan, go process the paperwork for these two gentlemen. Put the commission under your name."
"Ah?" The salesperson, Xiao Juan, gaped in surprise. "President Lin, this..."
"Go on," Lin Mu said with a smile.
Xiao Juan wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out. With her eyes turning red, she went to get the documents for Zheng Mingye and Sun Tianyang.
"Tsk, tsk. Such a philanderer," Hua Meiniang couldn’t help but mutter.
Lin Mu glanced at her. "Itching for a beating?"
Hua Meiniang’s eyes widened. Remembering how ruthless Lin Mu could be, she felt a wave of fear, snorted coldly, and ignored him.
At that moment, Sun Tianyang spoke up. "Young Master Mu, I see Coiling Dragon Bay has quite a few villas. Why aren’t you putting them on the market?"
Zheng Mingye chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Lin, Master Sun is right. I saw at least a hundred villas here. Why aren’t you selling them all at once?" He then added with a worried tone, "Because of what’s happening with Coiling Dragon Bay, the Fang Family seems to be making some big moves. If you don’t sell quickly, you’ll lose out."
Business is like a battlefield. Having been in the Jiangling business world for so long, Zheng Mingye understood this well. If Coiling Dragon Bay wasn’t sold off as quickly as possible, they wouldn’t just miss out on profits; the initial investment would be lost, and the project would become a huge mess later on. Of course, the properties would sell easily if the price were lowered. The problem was that at one hundred thousand per square meter, almost no one could afford them.
Lin Mu just smiled. "No rush. I have big plans for those villas."
***
「At the Fang Family estate.」
Fang Tang sat in the main hall, surrounded by the family’s most influential members.
"You all know about Coiling Dragon Bay, right?" Fang Tang scanned the crowd, his voice laced with ice.
"We do," an elder sneered. "It’s just some project Lin Mu threw together for shock value. It’s nothing but a stunt."
"Exactly! I bet he won’t last three days!"
"A hundred thousand per square meter? He must be insane!"
The crowd murmured in agreement, their words dripping with disdain.
Seeing that no one was taking it seriously, Fang Tang slammed his hand on the table. "Are you all unaware that Zheng Mingwang and the others were scrambling to buy properties there today?"
"Zheng Mingwang?" the elder said. "So what? How many can he buy? Coiling Dragon Bay was originally our Fang Family’s project; it was just bait. Now that Lin Mu has taken it, the project is inconsequential."
Fang Tang’s expression was grim. Taking a deep breath, he said, "We all know what Coiling Dragon Bay truly is. But given its massive transformation, haven’t any of you considered the reason why?"
"Family Head, you mean..." The elder seemed to realize something, and his face turned pale.
Fang Tang sighed. "That’s right. We can no longer contact Master Feng from the Corpse Raising Sect, which means something must have happened to him."
"This..."
All the Fang Family members were stunned. Their greatest secret was their collaboration with the Corpse Raising Sect, using Coiling Dragon Bay to line their pockets. Now that Lin Mu had completely transformed the property and Master Feng was unreachable, they instantly understood the terrifying implications.
"And there’s more news." Just then, Lu Tong burst into the hall and said in a panic, "Last night, the Fire Cloud Sect was annihilated, and Liu Xiu is dead!"
At these words, Fang Tang shot to his feet, his expression drastically changing. "What exactly happened?"
Lu Tong’s face was grave. "I now have a strong suspicion that the one targeting your Fang Family is Grandmaster Lin Wudi!"
"What?" Fang Tang was thrown into a complete panic. "Lin Wudi?"
"Yes." Lu Tong sighed, a wry smile on his face. "If not for Lin Wudi, who else could possess the power to turn decay into a miracle?"
BANG!
Fang Tang collapsed back into his chair, his expression ashen as utter despair flooded his heart. To offend a Grandmaster is to court certain death.