Chapter Thirty-Five: An Outrageous Demand!

Seeing the faint, mocking smile on Chen Xuan’s face, Li Xiuning and the others couldn't help but feel he was being a bit devious. They suspected he was concocting some wicked scheme to swindle the man.

However, none of them spoke up. After all, they were Chen Xuan’s people; it was impossible for them to side with Liu Jinyu and his crew. Furthermore, even though Liu Jinyu spoke with honeyed words, people’s hearts are unpredictable—who knew what his true intentions were?

Seeing that Chen Xuan was finally ready to set conditions, Liu Jinyu was overjoyed. He wasn't afraid of conditions; he was afraid of silence. As long as there were terms, there was room for negotiation. He patted his chest, guaranteeing, "Master Chen, name your price. As long as it is within my power, I will brave any hardship, even fire and water, to fulfill it!"

Chen Xuan shook his head. "No need for fire and water. Just give me some money."

Liu Jinyu froze. Money? He had expected some impossibly harsh demand, but he never imagined it would just be money.

"No problem! Over the years, our Liufeng Stronghold has saved up quite a bit. Just say the amount, Master Chen!"

Chen Xuan pondered for a moment, then held up a single finger.

"One hundred taels of silver?" Liu Jinyu ventured cautiously.

Chen Xuan’s face darkened instantly. *One hundred taels? Are you trying to brush off a beggar?*

Liu Jinyu quickly apologized with a smile, "Master Chen, I’m only joking. How could I offer you just one hundred taels? Even if you only asked for that much, I wouldn't dare give you so little." He tried again, "One thousand taels of silver?"

Since Chen Xuan had held up one finger, he assumed the number had to start with one. One thousand taels was not a small sum, but for a bandit den of five hundred people like Liufeng, it wasn't exactly a fortune. Years of pillaging and highway robbery had made them wealthier than many major landowners.

Chen Xuan’s expression softened slightly, but he still looked sullen. It seemed one thousand taels still didn't satisfy him. *This kid is quite greedy for his age,* Liu Jinyu thought to himself. *If it weren't for Lord Qin’s instructions...*

Outwardly, he continued to smile. "Master Chen, are you asking for ten thousand taels of silver?"

"To be honest, that is not a small amount, but if you insist, I can give it to you immediately!"

Chen Xuan was amused. He hadn't expected these bandits to be so well-off; ten thousand taels of silver, handed over without a blink. Currently, Chen Xuan only had six hundred taels of gold to his name. With the exchange rate of one to ten, that was only six thousand taels of silver. If Liu Jinyu could pull out ten thousand taels of silver just like that, they were certainly not poor.

But since he was already fleecing them, why not fleece them harder?

Chen Xuan shook his head again. "I think you misunderstood. I did ask for ten thousand, but not in silver—in gold!"

"What?!" Liu Jinyu’s eyes went round. "My god, ten thousand taels of gold?"

Little Six was so startled he fell onto his backside, his mouth agape. He nearly blurted out that this was daylight robbery. Nearby, Li Xiuning and the others exchanged glances. Chen Xuan’s appetite was truly staggering. Ten thousand taels of gold was one hundred thousand taels of silver! For a wealthy family in the capital, that would be a massive fortune. If bandits could cough up that much, why would they be bandits at all?

"Master Chen, this... isn't this asking for a bit too much?" Liu Jinyu was cursing internally. Even if he emptied the entire Liufeng Stronghold, they wouldn't have ten thousand taels of gold! They were bandits, not a bank!

"Is it a lot?" Chen Xuan shot him a look of utter disdain, then gestured toward his seven wives. "Don't you see how many women I have to support? My legal wife is the head of the household, she needs more—two thousand taels of gold. The other concubines get fifteen hundred taels of gold each. That adds up to eleven thousand taels of gold. I’m only asking you for ten thousand; I’m still covering the remaining thousand myself!"

Liu Jinyu was speechless. *You supporting your women has nothing to do with me! Why should I pay for them? Your women aren't going to let me touch them anyway!* He felt a wave of grief and indignation.

Yet, where there is sorrow, there is joy.

When Xu Ruolan heard that Chen Xuan was asking for this money on their behalf, she beamed, unable to hide her delight. "Oh my, my husband is so considerate! He knows we’re out of pocket and is getting us money."

[Ding!]
[Xu Ruolan’s affection +10. Current affection: 16.]

When the system notification chimed in his mind, Chen Xuan was startled. He hadn't expected her affection to jump so much. In an instant, he realized a truth: as long as he catered to a woman’s interests and provided what she liked, her affection would soar. Xu Ruolan’s affection had previously only increased in tiny increments, but because this involved her love of money, it jumped by ten points. The more money he got for her, the higher her affection would rise—she would probably break thirty points soon. Once she hit thirty, he would receive a new system reward!

Chen Xuan waited a moment, but noticed no one else’s affection had increased. He felt a bit deflated. *What’s going on? Do Li Xiuning and Lu Qiqi not like money?*

"Master Chen, it’s not that I’m stingy, but even if I emptied the entire Liufeng Stronghold, I couldn't come up with ten thousand taels of gold," Liu Jinyu said with a bitter smile, suspecting Chen Xuan was deliberately making things difficult. Even the Lord Qin behind him would have trouble with that sum—and he certainly wouldn't pay it.

"You’ve been a bandit for so many years and you’re this poor? You can't even produce ten thousand taels of gold?" Chen Xuan squinted at him.

Liu Jinyu felt deeply insulted. *If I had that kind of money, would I still be a bandit?*

He forced a smile. "Master Chen, to be honest, everyone knows the bandits in Hanfei Mountain are numerous. Travelers have to pay a toll, so everyone prefers to take the long way around rather than pass through here. It’s been hard to make a living in this trade lately. Some strongholds, unable to rob enough money to feed their people, have even started turning their own men away."

Chen Xuan couldn't help but blurt out, "What, can bandits be laid off, too?"