Chapter 393 392: For Rent, Not for Sale

"So, Mu Lin, what do you think we can grow on this plot of land?"

Mu Lin replied, "Spirit Medicine, and Spirit Grass."

"What in the world?" They never imagined Mu Lin would say something like that.

"It's perfectly normal that you don't understand the truth of the matter. Let me put it this way: a head of cabbage, a normal variety, is ready to eat in three or four months, right? But what if I were to grow it for several hundred years?"

"That's impossible! Cabbage is just cabbage. How could it grow for a hundred years?!"

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "It's just an analogy! A better one would be ginseng. If I grow a stalk of ginseng for a hundred years, it becomes very precious and can fetch an extremely high price on the open market. But if it's even older, say, three or four hundred years, then it will start showing up at auctions, frantically pursued by powerful groups. That's because it's no longer just ordinary ginseng; it's become a vessel for Spiritual Qi and can be sold for an astronomical price."

Qu Zizi said, "I've heard about that. Those valuable medicinal herbs can sell for exorbitant prices at auction, easily fetching hundreds of millions. But that's all a scam, right? I mean, how could anything really be that old!"

Mu Lin chuckled. "Of course not! Spirit Medicine that old does exist. But 'age' in this context is more of a metaphor. It's all because of this Spiritual Soil, which is rich in Spiritual Qi. The rate at which plants enrich themselves with Spiritual Qi here means one year of growth is comparable to ten years anywhere else. If you plant something here for just ten years, it will be as if it's a hundred years old, and its value will increase exponentially."

"After all, ancient Spirit Medicine is incredibly rare. Even a small increase in its age can lead to a much higher price."

"So tell me, if I were to buy a batch of relatively young Spirit Medicine, transplant it into Spiritual Soil like this, and then sell it ten years later, how much do you think I could earn?"

It suddenly dawned on Qu Zizi. Mu Lin had explained it so clearly that no further expertise was needed to grasp the implications.

'A plot of land like this... it's practically a money tree!'

'All the money from those countless tea trees they'd planted probably couldn't compare to even a tiny fraction of this land's potential.'

Qu Zizi pursed her lips. "What a shame. This land isn't ours."

Mu Lin tilted his head. "How come? Didn't you say your family has been growing things on it?"

"We have, but we're only leasing it from another family. Growing tea trees is one thing, but if we start planting Spirit Medicine, people are bound to get jealous."

"So we need to find the landowner and negotiate, is that it?" Mu Lin asked.

"Yeah," Qu Zizi said. "Isn't that the obvious thing to do?"

"I get it. So who's the landowner?" Mu Lin asked, a hint of urgency in his voice. Growing Spirit Medicine was his original trade; it was how he'd made a living back in his village.

'Now that he'd found another treasure like this, how could he possibly let it lie fallow?'

'He was already itching with an unbearable desire; he absolutely had to get his hands on it.'

'He was planning to start a company and would need a large supply of Spirit Medicine. This place would be the perfect cultivation base.'

After they returned home, Qu Zizi immediately asked around and found out the landowner's identity for Mu Lin.

The two families lived very close by; they were practically neighbors.

Qu Zizi and Mu Lin went over to make inquiries.

"You want to buy that worthless plot of land? Be my guest..."

The landowner was one of Qu Zizi's relatives and was very easy to talk to.

"But my delinquent nephew refuses to sell. He even threatened to kill me if I did!"

Qu Zizi covered her mouth lightly. "He'd really say something like that?"

"He's a delinquent, isn't he? It's perfectly normal for him to talk like that," Mu Lin said.

Qu Zizi quickly shook her head. "No, that's not it. He just fools around all day and has no income. He's always struggling to get by. If the land were sold, he'd get money. He of all people should be happy about it!"

Mu Lin mulled it over. It was indeed strange. 'It's hard to say just why this delinquent is so unwilling to sell the land.'

"Where can I find him?" Mu Lin asked.

「A few gaudily decorated cars were parked by the side of the road.」

A young man with blond hair, leading a group of cronies, walked over. Mu Lin said, "Hello. I want to buy that barren plot on the mountainside. How much are you asking?"

"This is my family's property, and it's not for sale! But... I can lease it to you!"

Mu Lin looked at Huang Mao. "Alright. Then how much do you want? Go on, name your price. I'll do my best to meet it."

"For real? A hundred million, then!"

Everyone around was shocked. Qu Zizi snapped, "Are you robbing us? Demanding that much for a worthless piece of land? You must be out of your mind!"

But Mu Lin simply said, "Fine."

'If I plant Spirit Medicine,' he thought, 'with the multiplying effect of the Spiritual Soil, it won't take long to earn that back.'

When Huang Mao heard Mu Lin agree without a moment's hesitation, his eyes narrowed. "I meant per month. Is that still okay?"

Mu Lin gave a dry laugh. "You're just messing with me now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. So what? You're the one who wants to lease it, not me. Get it? You'd better think this through."

The middle-aged man, Huang Mao's uncle, could no longer stand by. He said angrily, "Liu-zi, you're going too far! Speak respectfully!"

"Stay out of this, Uncle. You've been a farmer your whole life. Is what you've earned in all that time more than one month of my rent? The land yields as much as one dares to take. Only idiots like you play by the rules! No wonder your wife ran off with another man."

His nephew's words hit a sore spot. The middle-aged man was practically exploding with rage, but there was truly nothing he could do.

Mu Lin said, "Who told you to use this land for extortion? Who told you what this land is worth?"

Mu Lin infused his words with a trace of True Qi, giving them an imposing power.

Huang Mao already had a guilty conscience. Startled like this, the color drained from his face.

"No one told me anything! This land is the only thing my family left me. How could I sell it? I may be a punk, but I still have some principles!"

The middle-aged man retorted angrily, "You, talking about principles? Get lost! In my opinion, this land is the very thing that's made you so lazy! Maybe if you didn't have it, you'd finally try to make something of yourself!"

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Sir, I'll make the decision for him. I'm selling this land to you! And not for much—just one hundred thousand!"

Huang Mao was so angry he felt like his lungs would explode. In a flash, he whipped out a club and pointed it at the middle-aged man.

"You bastard! My dad gave me this land! How dare you sell it! I'll kill you!"

With that, Huang Mao raised the club and swung it at the middle-aged man.

"How audacious! Attacking someone in broad daylight! Is there no law in this land?"

The sharp reprimand was so filled with righteous power that Huang Mao's hand slipped in fright, and his club clattered to the ground.

He whipped his head around and saw Bi Haitao, looking as terrified as if he had seen a demon.

"Cap... Captain Bi!"

He scurried over to Bi Haitao's side. "Captain Bi! What brings you here?"

Bi Haitao kicked Huang Mao. "Looking for trouble again, are we? Did you enjoy the prison food? I can send you back for another taste!"

"No, no, no! I haven't committed any crime! This land is mine, and how I handle it is my business! None of you have any say in it!"

Bi Haitao was also somewhat helpless; technically, the kid had a point.

"But you still can't be wandering around with this many guys. Dismiss your crew, or I'll book you for disturbing the peace!"

Huang Mao was panicking. "You can't do that, Captain Bi! I was just being hasty, but I'm doing this for the good of my family!"

He pointed at Mu Lin. "He's no good! He's trying to scam my uncle out of this land for a low price!"

"Him?" Bi Haitao glanced at Mu Lin and let out a cold laugh. "Does he look like he needs to scam you? If he decided to stop being reasonable, you wouldn't be alive right now! Do you have any idea what He Zongshan calls him?"

He Zongshan?! Huang Mao's heart dropped when he heard that name.

"Even He Zongshan reveres Mr. Mu as his master. What do you have to say now? You're unbelievably stupid!"

Huang Mao was beyond panicked. "Captain, you... you can't be serious, right?"

"Am I joking? Go on, give it a try. See if He Zongshan doesn't come looking for you tomorrow!"

Bi Haitao turned, walked over to Mu Lin, and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Mu, my apologies. I was tied up with some trivial matters and arrived a little late."

Mu Lin smiled. "It's no problem. As long as you're here. Besides, this isn't a big deal. There was no need to trouble Captain Bi."

"I just want to buy a plot of land, but this fellow is doing everything he can to stop me. I suspect there's a hidden reason for it. What could it be, I wonder?"

What could it be?

Bi Haitao's gaze sharpened, and when he turned to Huang Mao, his eyes were terrifying. "Huang Mao, you didn't bury a body under there, did you?"