351: Chapter 351 You Can't Afford It

Zhang Dahai's brow twitched, incensed by Han Jingyang's attitude.

When had he, Zhang Dahai, ever suffered such humiliation?

He had come in person only to be given the cold shoulder; if it were anyone else, they would already be dead.

But this was Han Jingyang.

Zhang Dahai forced himself to calm down and squeezed out a thin smile. "Han Jingyang, this doesn't seem like the attitude of someone seriously discussing business."

Han Jingyang chuckled. "Zhang Dahai, that's just how I am—straightforward. I prefer to get right to the point. You said you wanted to talk and settle things, so let's talk. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

At that moment, the Old Man beside Zhang Dahai spoke up. "Han Jingyang, is this how you treat your guests?"

Han Jingyang raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Liu Quansheng, Boss Zhang's assistant."

"An assistant? Since when do assistants have a say here?"

"As an assistant, it is my duty to share my boss's burdens. You are being disrespectful to my boss, and I should—and must—stand up to criticize your rude behavior."

"Tsk, tsk." Han Jingyang clapped with a smile, as if offering genuine praise. "Well said, and it makes sense. Boss Zhang, you've raised quite a loyal dog!"

Liu Quansheng's face instantly darkened, and he shouted, "Han Jingyang, can you do nothing but wag your tongue?"

Han Jingyang suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the coffee table, and glared down at Liu Quansheng, shouting, "Yes, I can only wag my tongue! If you're not satisfied, go back and bring your whole crew for a real battle. We'll see then who's the one who can only talk!"

"You're looking for death!"

"That's right, I'm looking for death. If you've got the guts, then kill me!"

"You think I don't dare?"

"Oh, you dare. What wouldn't you dare? You're the big shots of Quancheng's underworld; is there anything you're afraid to do?"

"As long as you know."

"Of course I know. But if you're so powerful, why bother talking? Just lead your men to my door and attack. Knock me down, and everything I own is yours. Come on!"

"You..."

"Oh, I remember now. You've already tried that, more than once. But you were defeated every time and lost quite a few men. I heard there was even a female bodyguard your boss trusted the most?"

"You, you..."

Liu Quansheng was shaking with rage at Han Jingyang's words.

At this point, Zhang Dahai coughed and said to Han Jingyang, "Brother Han, there's no need to bicker with an assistant. It's beneath you. Only our statuses are equal."

Only then did Han Jingyang pull back his anger, letting out a light snort. "I never care about status. I only care about reason. As long as I'm in the right, no one can make me bow or submit."

Zhang Dahai chuckled. "That's how it should be. It's just that this world hasn't been that simple from the start. Not everyone is willing to listen to reason."

Han Jingyang hummed in agreement. "True. At least in my experience, you, Boss Zhang, aren't someone who likes to listen to reason either."

Zhang Dahai sighed. "Actually, I want to be reasonable, but others won't be reasonable with me; they only want to compare fists. I had no choice, and over time, I developed the bad habit of throwing punches whenever something happens. I only remember to be reasonable when I hit a steel plate. And well, I've run into a steel plate in you, Brother Han. So, Brother Han, I really want to have a good talk with you this time and resolve our conflict in a civilized way that benefits us both."

"Civilized? Benefiting us both?"

"Yes."

"Does such a way exist?"

"It does."

"I'm highly skeptical."

"That's why we need to talk." Seeing the atmosphere soften, Zhang Dahai sat down on the sofa with a smile. "Disagreements and misunderstandings don't matter. As long as we're willing to talk, there's a chance to narrow those differences and avoid new misunderstandings. Even if it's just for future peace, we should talk, right?"

Han Jingyang smiled too.

This Zhang Dahai really had something to him. He was eloquent, but more importantly, he had the ability to find the right angle. He could always take seemingly ordinary words and make them resonate, giving people a feeling that they had no choice but to be convinced. He was extremely persuasive.

This was a type of talent.

And a type of charisma.

It wasn't just luck that allowed this man named Zhang to reach his current heights.

However, that was still far from enough.

Thinking this, Han Jingyang nodded and said, "Then let's talk. Boss Zhang, my attitude remains the same: get straight to the point and tell me your demands."

"This..."

"Time is quite precious."

Zhang Dahai's expression flickered with a moment of conflict before he sighed. "Brother Han, it's actually just two things. First, we turn our swords into plowshares—forget our past grievances and stop being hostile and attacking each other. Second, sell me... Wu Zhiyang's relics."

When he mentioned the word "sell," Zhang Dahai's expression became even more conflicted. Clearly, this wasn't his original intention, but with things having reached this stage, he really couldn't bring himself to say "return them to me" or "hand them over." He could only painfully use the word "sell."

He was mentally prepared to be fleeced again, just so he could take away the dharma instruments Wu Zhiyang had brought from Taiwan.

To Zhang Dahai, as long as he could get those dharma instruments of Wu Zhiyang's, any amount of money spent would be worth it.

Han Jingyang stared into Zhang Dahai's eyes and asked back, "Sell?"

"Yes. As long as you're willing, Brother Han, name your price. We'll negotiate fairly, and everything will be done according to the rules."

"The dharma instruments Wu Zhiyang brought?"

"I don't know if they're dharma instruments or not, but anyway, those items."

"Then I'm very sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't sell them."

"Why?"

"Those things are no longer here."

"You sold them?"

"No."

"Lost them?"

"No."

"Destroyed them?"

"No."

Zhang Dahai narrowed his eyes. "Brother Han, this isn't funny. I'm talking business with you from the heart, seriously discussing a price, and you... you're playing with me?"

Han Jingyang spread his hands. "Boss Zhang, your words make no sense. When did I play with you? Everything I said is the honest truth, okay?"

"You said it yourself—those things weren't sold, lost, or destroyed, yet you say they're no longer here. If that's not playing with me, what is?"

"Oh, that. It really is the truth." Han Jingyang sighed. "I performed Consecration on all of them. This is how I make my living. Naturally, as soon as I got those items, I put them through the Consecration process. You should have heard that once an item is Consecrated, it's no longer what it used to be. Especially items Consecrated by my hand—each one becomes an extremely rare dharma instrument, completely different from the original. So, is there any problem with saying that the junk Wu Zhiyang brought no longer exists in this world?"

Zhang Dahai's fists slowly tightened. "So Brother Han means... there's nothing to talk about?"

Han Jingyang looked at Zhang Dahai with an innocent face. "If you want to buy the junk Wu Zhiyang brought, then indeed, there's nothing to talk about. Because through my Consecration, that junk has evolved into brand-new dharma instruments. Aside from their appearance, they're nothing like their original forms. How can I sell them as they were?"

Zhang Dahai narrowed his eyes and stared at Han Jingyang, saying slowly, "Then the Consecrated ones. Name your price, I want them all."

Han Jingyang met Zhang Dahai's gaze without flinching and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you can't afford them!"