Upon hearing Gu Chengkun say this, Wei Linming quickly added, "Master Xuan, actually, there’s no need for things to be so tense between us."

"Think about it, collaborating with the Eight Great Powers and the Four Great Clans would only benefit you without any downsides. You could gain several backers, making anything you do in Star Sea a piece of cake with everyone’s help, right?"

Although he was pleading and trying to curry favor with Liu Zixuan, his words still carried a tone of superiority from the Eight Great Powers and the Four Great Clans over Liu Zixuan.

Just that alone was enough to annoy Liu Zixuan!

Liu Zixuan coldly snorted, "Your meaning is that I, Liu Zixuan, can only stand in Star Sea by relying on your Eight Great Powers and Four Great Clans? Without you, I can’t accomplish anything, is that it?"

"I..." Wei Linming was suddenly at a loss for words. He wanted to say yes, but didn’t dare to be so blunt.

"When I was at the Ghost Market, I indeed had a conflict with the Gu Family, but I never said I would go against your Eight Great Powers and Four Great Clans, did I? Nor did I say I would disobey your unity, right?" Liu Zixuan questioned.

Gu Chengkun and Wei Linming exchanged a glance: "It seems you have not said so explicitly, but there are rumors outside that you want to lead those Martial Artists without backing to oppose the Eight Great Powers and the Four Great Clans?"

"That’s just hearsay, what evidence do you have that it was me, Liu Zixuan, who said that?" Liu Zixuan asked coldly.

Both of them shook their heads.

"I’ve never said it, but your Eight Great Powers and Four Great Clans couldn’t wait and have been targeting me everywhere. Now you even want to cut off my funding stream. If I, Liu Zixuan, choose to oppose the Eight Great Powers and Four Great Clans in the future, it’s because you forced me."

Liu Zixuan got up and walked in front of them, saying slowly, "Let’s leave all that aside and talk about your compensation."

"Master Xuan, why don’t you name a price? Step back a thousand miles and say, in this world, there are neither eternal enemies nor eternal friends, only eternal interests. We will certainly come across each other often in the future, there’s no need for a fight to the death." Gu Chengkun, more mature, shrugged and said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zixuan sneered, "Eternal interests, huh? Then let’s talk about interests today, nothing else. Put one billion from the stock market into my hands, and I’ll spare your lives."

"One... one billion? All for you?" Wei Linming was immediately not pleased.

"I’ll say this only once. If you agree, everything will be negotiable later. If you don’t, your families will be visiting your graves around this time next year!" Liu Zixuan finished speaking and moved to Mengyu’s side, "Pack up, we’re heading to Xiumei Group."

Mengyu nodded slightly, picked up her bag, and stood up.

Gu Chengkun and Wei Linming exchanged a glance, and Wei Linming whispered, "Kun, what do we do now?"

"For the time being, we have to give it to him. Keeping our lives is most important. We can both serve as economic pillars for our families, and though we might lose a billion today, we can earn it back." Gu Chengkun continued in a lower voice, "Furthermore, it’s crucial to stabilize Liu Zixuan now. We’re isolated with no support and can’t afford to provoke him. Once we return and report everything to our families, they’ll surely have our backs."

"Yes, but only because we are on Liu Zixuan’s turf. If my father learned of how he treated me today, the Wei Family would tear him to pieces!" Wei Linming muttered grimly.

"Have you two finished discussing?" Liu Zixuan asked with a meaningful smile.

"We agree! But all our funds are in the stock market, and it would take a day or two to cash out," Gu Chengkun said, looking up.

"No need to cash out. Transfer directly to the Xiumei Group’s corporate account. Use stock transactions to do so," Liu Zixuan had already thought this through.

Cashing out would certainly give them the chance to call for backup, and by then, they wouldn’t even get a dime.

Gu Chengkun’s mouth twitched a few times as he listened. They all thought Liu Zixuan was merely a Martial Artist, but didn’t expect him to be so savvy in business affairs too.

A hundred billion? Directly transferred to Xiumei Group’s corporate account, that would mean Xiumei Group’s market value would double within a day—something never seen in the entire Star Sea.

Huge loss!

At this moment, the words "huge loss" echoed in both Gu Chengkun’s and Wei Linming’s minds.

Coming to Ghost Wood City, their ultimate goal was to force Liu Zixuan to collaborate with them. They aimed to cut off Liu Zixuan’s funding chain, yet now they not only failed but even saw his funds soar! Increasing by more than double!

In this case, wasn’t this a huge loss?

But what else could they do?

To save their lives, they had no choice but to proceed!

"We need to borrow your phone." Their phones had been broken by Liu Zixuan, so they needed his phone to proceed.

Liu Zixuan handed over his phone, "Be quick, there are only three or so minutes left until the market closes, and I still need to head to Xiumei Group!"

"Speedily, indeed." Gu Chengkun really felt the bitter pain in his mouth. After a series of operations, the funds they had just withdrawn were transferred directly to Xiumei Group’s corporate account.

That was nearly one billion!

Liu Zixuan checked the transaction flowchart; though it had not officially arrived, it was too late for them to back out.

Hugging Mengyu’s fragrant shoulder, he laughed, "Look, this meal was worthwhile; the two bosses just invested such a hefty sum in me."

Mengyu cooperatively nodded, "Enough for me to film TV dramas for a lifetime!"

"Hahaha."

"Master Xuan, can we leave now?" Gu Chengkun and his group were eager to leave and report back to their families, hoping the families would deal with Liu Zixuan.

Liu Zixuan scratched his head, "I just said you needed to transfer the money over to spare your lives, but I didn’t say you could leave!"

"You! What do you mean?" Wei Linming asked with a fury.

"No need to get angry. You two are high-status figures in the Business World, not short of money. But I, Liu Zixuan, am just a Martial Artist, a small-time rural farmer, scared of poverty, and just thinking of earning more," Liu Zixuan shrugged. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"You two stay here for now. After I finish dealing with Xiumei Group, your families can come and redeem you with money!"

With that, Liu Zixuan turned and walked out with Mengyu, saying to several of the waitstaff, "Take good care of the two bosses in the private room, and make sure to serve them the best food and the most expensive wine."

"Okay, boss!" These waitstaff were not ordinary people; they were bodyguards from the former Wu Mei family. After Wu Mei left, having nowhere to go, they all came to City Center Restaurant. They called themselves waitstaff, but they actually watched over the place for Liu Zixuan.