"Master, will sixteen billion suffice? After all, you've already beaten that Zhang family brat to such a state," Ouyang Zhengde ventured, seeing Chen Mo's prolonged silence.
Ouyang Zhengde was quite nervous. If Chen Mo was satisfied with sixteen billion, then the Ouyang family wouldn't have suffered a loss.
Chen Mo had initially intended to pit the Ouyang family against other influential families, making them a target. However, he wasn't sure what Ouyang Zhengde had said outside to get the Zhang family to agree to pay.
Hearing Ouyang Zhengde's question, Chen Mo waved his hand indifferently, "Fine, sixteen billion it is."
Upon hearing Chen Mo's agreement, a flicker of joy crossed Ouyang Zhengde's face.
About half an hour later, Ouyang Xiaotian returned to Shenzhi Tang with the check.
Ouyang Zhengde respectfully handed the sixteen billion check to Chen Mo.
Chen Mo glanced at the check and put it away.
"Master, can I take them back now?" Ouyang Zhengde gestured towards Zhang Shiwen and his son.
With the money secured, Chen Mo had no reason to keep them captive. He nodded, "Go ahead."
Ouyang Zhengde waved his hand and instructed, "Take them all away."
The subordinates Ouyang Zhengde had brought forward stepped up, lifting Zhang Shiwen and the middle-aged man, and carried them out of the office.
Seeing this, Zhang Shiwen trembled with excitement, thinking he was finally leaving this place of nightmares.
As Ouyang Zhengde saw everyone else being led out, he bowed again to Chen Mo and asked, "Master, do you have any other matters?"
"I don't want to see any more influential families setting their sights on Shenzhi Tang. If I find out again, I'll hold your Ouyang family accountable," Chen Mo warned, glancing at Ouyang Zhengde.
"Yes, yes! Rest assured, I will dispatch people to protect Shenzhi Tang and prevent any scoundrels from coveting it!"
Hearing Ouyang Zhengde's assurance, Chen Mo finally waved his hand, signaling Ouyang Zhengde to leave.
Eager to get to the hotel, Ouyang Zhengde did not linger and quickly withdrew.
Seeing Ouyang Zhengde and his entourage depart, Xu Chengping and his daughter finally recovered from their shock.
Xu Chengping couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chen, who... who exactly are you? Why does the head of the Ouyang family call you Master?"
After asking, Xu Chengping realized he might have been too forward.
His family's problem with Shenzhi Tang had been resolved, and the secrets belonging to Chen Mo were not something he should inquire about.
He then said with a look of apprehension, "Mr. Chen, I... I didn't mean anything else, I was just curious."
Chen Mo smiled calmly, "To be honest, I'm quite bewildered myself. Becoming the master of the Ouyang family was likely an accident."
"Ah?"
Xu Chengping stared at Chen Mo in astonishment.
He couldn't believe something like this could happen by accident. He had heard of accidental pregnancies and accidental car crashes, but becoming a family's master by accident was something he had never encountered before.
Despite his shock, Xu Chengping understood that Chen Mo probably didn't want to elaborate.
He therefore dared not press further.
However, he then remembered something and asked Chen Mo, "Mr. Chen, is there a reason you suddenly came to see me?"
Chen Mo slapped his forehead, "You mentioning it, I almost forgot. I need you to help me find seeds for some medicinal herbs, precious ones. Any kind will do."
Xu Chengping quickly explained to Chen Mo, "Mr. Chen, the soil requirements for growing medicinal herbs are very high, especially for precious ones. The reason they are precious is due to the difficulty in cultivation, often relying on wild harvesting. Are you planning to try planting them?"
"Yes," Chen Mo did not conceal his intentions.
"However, Longhua City only has a few mountains, and none of them are suitable for growing medicinal herbs. Where do you plan to plant them?" Xu Chengping asked, full of confusion.
"Didn't I just buy a piece of land for sixty billion recently? I'm planning to clear a section of it to cultivate medicinal herbs," Chen Mo replied earnestly.
"What?!"
"You're going to use residential land to grow medicinal herbs?!"
Hearing Chen Mo's answer, Xu Chengping's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Everyone knew the vast difference in price between land for cultivation and residential land. Sixty billion for land to grow herbs? It was practically extravagance!
Xu Xiaohui also covered her mouth in astonishment.
If not for Chen Mo's earlier display, Xu Xiaohui might have thought Chen Mo had a problem with his sanity.
"What? Is there a problem?" Chen Mo looked at their reactions, quite puzzled.
Xu Chengping, however, had no idea that the land Chen Mo had purchased was a prime location, most suitable for growing medicinal herbs.
"No, no problem. You, you do as you please." Xu Chengping dared not say anything else.
Then, Xu Chengping said, "Don't worry, I'll send people to look for the seeds right away, and Xiaohui will deliver them to you."
Chen Mo nodded, pointing at the messy office, "Alright, I'll be going then. You should get this cleaned up."
"Yes, Mr. Chen, we'll see you out!"
With that, Xu Chengping and Xu Xiaohui escorted Chen Mo to the entrance of Shenzhi Tang.
"Xiaohui, get Mr. Chen's phone number. From now on, if Mr. Chen has any dividends or medicinal herb seeds, you must deliver them to him promptly. Understand?" Xu Chengping instructed.
Xu Xiaohui's face instantly flushed with shyness. How could she not understand her father's intentions? She nodded and stepped forward to exchange contact information with Chen Mo.
"Mr. Chen, thank you for saving us today."
Xu Xiaohui couldn't help but thank Chen Mo again.
Seeing Xu Xiaohui's bashful demeanor, Chen Mo smiled faintly, "It's nothing. You two run your business well."
With that, Chen Mo got into his car.
As Chen Mo's car drove away, Xu Xiaohui's gaze remained fixed in the direction the vehicle had disappeared.
"Ahem."
"Mr. Chen has already left."
Xu Chengping coughed a few times.
Xu Xiaohui finally came back to her senses, her face growing even redder. She dared not meet her father's eyes.
"I, I'll go back and tidy up the room." With that, Xu Xiaohui turned and returned to Shenzhi Tang.
Meanwhile, a convoy of black commercial vehicles was traveling down the road.
Behind them, an Iveco van followed.
However, as these vehicles passed over a bridge spanning a river, they slowly came to a halt.
Only the lead vehicle continued forward, while the rest stopped on the bridge.
It was already dark, and there were no other vehicles passing by.
The car doors slowly opened.
A young man stepped out.
"Bring them all out," the young man commanded.
Soon, the doors of the rear vehicles opened, and two miserable figures were dragged out.
"Wh-what is this place?" the middle-aged man asked in a slurred voice.
Half of his face was caved in, making it difficult for him to speak.
The young man's face was cold. "Tell me, how could you two be so stupid? Who else would you provoke but Chen Mo, causing our Ouyang family such heavy losses!"