Lu Yuan pondered the matter for a moment, then shook his head.
No.
Absolutely not.
In his previous life, he had struggled at the very bottom for ten whole years, living in abject humility.
Now that he had a second chance, he refused to give up, no matter what!
If he didn't seize it now, regret aside, obtaining it after the mutation would be exponentially harder.
With that thought, Lu Yuan looked up and said, "I'm genuinely interested in this item. I'd still like to ask you for a favor, Manager Lin—please help me arrange a meeting with the seller. If things work out, I won't forget your help."
Not knowing who the owner was, he could only rely on Jubaozhai to act as a middleman.
"Think nothing of it, Mr. Lu," Manager Lin said. "You are our honored guest, and serving you is our duty. Since you've spoken, I will certainly do my best to arrange it.
"However, Mr. Lu, you should be prepared. The seller wasn't very sincere to begin with. His asking price of twenty million alone was rather excessive. Other clients approached him before, but in the end, none were willing to part with that kind of money."
"Unwilling to part with it?" Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "That's only because he hasn't met a buyer like me."
The Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda was simply too important. Even now, he could not forget what he had witnessed in his past life.
If he could secure it, twenty million yuan was nothing.
"Understood. Just wait for my word, Mr. Lu."
Seeing how determined Lu Yuan was, Manager Lin nodded at once, promising to do everything in his power to see it through.
Afterward, the two chatted for a bit longer.
Seeing that he had no further business, Lu Yuan picked up the Ghost Seal, rose, and took his leave of the sixth floor.
When he stepped out of Jubaozhai, the sun was nearing the horizon.
Getting into his car, he drove toward another destination. It was still not the villa in the north of the city, but an older neighborhood located along the outer ring.
Along the way, Lu Yuan made a deliberate stop to buy some fruit. It was nothing expensive—just ordinary produce.
Around seven in the evening, the car pulled up before a single-story brick house.
There was a courtyard in front of the house, and faint wisps of blue-gray smoke could be seen drifting up from within.
If one inhaled deeply, the smoke carried a distinct scent of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.
"Old Man Ge, here I am uninvited again."
Pushing open the gate, Lu Yuan lifted the bag in his hand and smiled. "I brought you some fruit."
In the courtyard sat a gaunt, elderly man in his sixties or seventies. Holding a woven fan, he waved it rhythmically toward a medicine pot simmering before him.
Catching sight of Lu Yuan, the old man merely lifted his eyelids, grunted an indifferent "Mm," and turned his focus back to the medicine, displaying none of the warmth of a host.
Lu Yuan was entirely unfazed.
Setting the fruit on a table, he walked over, took the fan from the old man's hands, and assumed the task of tending the brew.
Old Man Ge frowned slightly, but in the end, he said nothing. He walked over to a nearby rocking chair, reclined, and showed no intention of speaking.
Yet inwardly, Lu Yuan felt a quiet surge of joy. Ever since his rebirth, he had visited this place every single day.
On the first day, the old man had chased him out directly.
As time went by, he was gradually permitted to step through the gate. Now, the old man no longer objected to gifts or Lu Yuan taking over chores. To Lu Yuan, this was an encouraging sign—at the very least, his persistence was bearing fruit.
In truth, he was neither friend nor kin to Old Man Ge; they had never even crossed paths before.
His reason for coming here and cultivating a closer relationship was, of course, driven by a specific purpose.
It was just that he had never revealed it.
For now, he acted merely as a well-meaning junior helping an elder brew medicine and run errands.
One old, one young. One sitting, one reclining.
Eventually, the older man could no longer keep still. Sitting up straight, he said, "All right, Xiao Lu. The medicine's almost done. You should head home."
"Don't worry, I have plenty of time," Lu Yuan replied with a chuckle, remaining firmly in place.
Old Man Ge sighed in exasperation and pressed on. "Xiao Lu, I know you come from a good family and went to university. You don't actually believe those absurd rumors going around outside, claiming my family is descended from Ge Hong, do you?"
Ge Hong, styled Baopuzi, was a legendary alchemist in Chinese history, famed far and wide and revered as an immortal elder.
Moreover, he had a relative of even greater renown—Ge Xuan, one of the Four Heavenly Masters of Daoism!
"Legends aren't always dependable, but who's to say there isn't some truth to them?" Lu Yuan smiled. "Of course, that's not why I've been helping you out these past few days."
"Really?" The old man looked skeptical.
"Really!" Lu Yuan answered firmly.
Even so, his gaze casually drifted toward a medicine furnace resting not far away in the courtyard.
The furnace was modest in size, resting on three legs and lacking a lid, roughly the size of a basketball. It was clearly an antique, but due to poor preservation and careless handling, the engraved patterns across its surface had long since worn smooth, making it impossible to date accurately.
To ordinary eyes, such a furnace was worth eighty to a hundred yuan at most.
In reality, only Lu Yuan knew that this object was truly extraordinary—another divine artifact.
It appeared utterly unremarkable, yet it was one of the rare items that held profound, esoteric power even before the global mutation.
Its true name was the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace, an artifact once used by Immortal Ge to refine pills.
As for how Lu Yuan knew this, it was because he had possessed it in his past life.
It was precisely thanks to this furnace that he had managed to survive for an entire decade in the harsh world following the global mutation. Acquiring it back then had been a matter of pure coincidence, fraught with hardship, and it was also because of this very furnace that Lu Yuan had ultimately been hunted down and killed.
Up until his dying breath, he had never been able to unleash the furnace's true potential.
It had been one of his greatest regrets.
And now, it was time to make amends.
However, beyond the furnace, Lu Yuan had another motive.
Naturally, that could not be voiced aloud. Doing so would make his intentions far too obvious and only provoke disgust.
He had inquired into Old Man Ge's background: though poor, the man was stubborn and eccentric. That was precisely why Lu Yuan had not tried to resolve the matter directly with money. With a person like this, one had to exchange sincerity for sincerity.
"Fine. I'll take your word for it for now."
Old Man Ge shook his head. Though he said so, he clearly did not buy it, and he leaned back down onto the chair.
Lu Yuan did not mind in the least, patiently continuing to brew the medicine.
Time ticked by.
Eventually, darkness enveloped the sky.
The decoction was finally complete.
"Old Man Ge, it's done. Remember to eat the fruit—it's good for your health. I'll be taking my leave now." Lu Yuan rose and walked straight out of the courtyard without once looking back.
"This kid..." Old Man Ge was taken aback. He wanted to scold him, but in the end, he merely muttered under his breath, "Didn't even stay for a cup of tea..."
Leaving the old neighborhood behind, Lu Yuan finally set out for the villa. The drive was somewhat long, as it required cutting through the center of the city.
Sitting in the car, he reviewed his plans while gazing out at the neon-lit cityscape.
It was bustling yet peaceful, as though this tranquility would last forever.
Yet Lu Yuan knew all too well.
In just over a month, everything would change.
Skyscrapers would crumble, cities would be reduced to ruins, and heaven and earth would be turned on their heads. The dawn of the new era would bring immense opportunity, but for the vast majority of people, it would be an unprecedented catastrophe.
Before long, it was nearing ten o'clock.
Lu Yuan finally arrived home. But as he parked the car and stepped into the courtyard, he froze in surprise.
Chapter 10