When Choices Arrive

The Black Card also had two remaining imprints—normally there were three, but sometimes there could be four.

Each imprint represented a discount on the transaction fee. For instance, with three imprints, the first could offer a 30% discount, the second 20%, and the last 10%.

The first time Jin Zifu brought the Black Card, only the last imprint remained. That particular Black Card had actually become invalid. The one Luo Qiu later gave to Cao Ziqian was one he had re-infused with imprints.

As for a Black Card with a fourth imprint—imagine the feeling of a substantial transaction fee suddenly being cut by 40%!

How amusing… this Black Card seems to be the same one I encountered at Gu Yue Zhai today, Luo Qiu thought faintly.

However, it didn't matter who held the Black Card; the key was that the cardholder had arrived.

At this moment, Zhong Luochen had already sat down, and Luo Qiu had taken a seat opposite him. You Ye had served the meticulously prepared flower tea. It was a pity that no matter who entered, they seemed to be in no mood to savor it.

It would eventually turn cold and dry.

"Does Mr. Zhong know our rules here?" Luo Qiu suddenly asked—if this Black Card came from Gu Yue Zhai, then his understanding of the Club was difficult to gauge.

There were times when it was necessary to explain the Club's transaction rules to guests.

"Mr. Clown, please speak!" Zhong Luochen steadied himself, looking at Luo Qiu with composure. In his view, facing such mysterious unknowns, it was best to shed the superiority of his ordinary self and maintain the utmost politeness and humility.

Luo Qiu said, "A cardholder is a member of the Club. The Black Card in your hand has two remaining imprints, so you can enjoy transaction discounts twice more."

Zhong Luochen nodded, thinking to himself that it was no wonder Old Madam Zhang had hesitated when he presented the Jade Lock. It was indeed because the Black Card's origin was extraordinary.

"Then…"

"You can currently enjoy a 20% discount. After this transaction, it will be 10%. Luo Qiu said calmly, "Originally, it was 30%... but it has already been used once."

Zhong Luochen nodded again. "Mr. Clown, I understand now… but I want to confirm, can you really buy anything here?"

Luo Qiu replied, "Of course… that's impossible. If what you wish to buy is something like the destruction of the world, do you think we have the ability to sell it to you? After all, if the world ceases to exist, our Club would go bankrupt."

Zhong Luochen nodded in agreement.

Unexpectedly, Luo Qiu suddenly said faintly, "Besides, you wouldn't be able to afford the transaction fee for destroying the world… even with a discount."

Zhong Luochen's heart couldn't help but skip a beat… Was this a joke, or something else?

Luo Qiu continued, "We've strayed off topic. Let's discuss what you, the guest, desire."

He spoke like a charlatan, "Wealth? Fame? Women? Or power? Whatever you wish for, as long as you can pay the price."

"I want to buy life!" Zhong Luochen took a deep breath and said heavily.

After speaking, he looked at Luo Qiu's every move, nervous yet composed. Although the other party wore a clown mask, he could still discern something from his body language.

But he couldn't discern anything.

The clown before him remained motionless, simply staring at him. It was only when Zhong Luochen began to break out in a cold sweat that he finally heard the other party speak, "Of course, no problem. Mr. Zhong, whose life do you wish to buy? And what do you intend to use to purchase this life? Oh, I forgot to tell you, we don't accept money here."

"My grandfather," Zhong Luochen said in a deep voice. "He has a brain tumor and is now unconscious. We've consulted the best doctors both domestically and internationally, but none could treat him. I just hope he can overcome this difficulty."

Luo Qiu listened and then said, "Guest, I don't care what illness your grandfather has. What I care about is how long you want to buy your grandfather's lifespan… a year? Five years? Or ten years?"

Zhong Luochen looked at Luo Qiu and asked, "What's the longest I can buy?"

Luo Qiu replied, "That's up to you to decide. Consider how much your grandfather's life is worth per minute, and how much you can afford."

"Ten years… no…" Zhong Luochen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Five years, just five years will do! As for the price… I don't know how to measure it, I hope you can tell me. However, I know that although this is where clandestine transactions take place, it also values voluntary participation, so I trust you won't mislead me."

But I will guide you…

Luo Qiu was silent for a moment. His silence made Zhong Luochen appear even more uneasy. The young man seemed to be trying his best to conceal his anxiety, so he finally picked up the flower tea brewed by You Ye and took a sip.

"Use three hours of lifespan to purchase Zhong Luochen's grandfather's information?"

"Use three hours of lifespan to purchase Zhong Luochen's information?"

"...Mm."

But the quiet was only on the surface. Inwardly, Luo Qiu was communicating with the altar on the negative third floor via telepathy. After the first successful transaction, just as You Ye had said, Luo Qiu's abilities would gradually strengthen.

For example, he could now communicate with the altar telepathically and exchange his own lifespan for desired information.

The existence of the altar allowed Luo Qiu to continuously extend his lifespan, but it also seemed to be constantly depleting it.

Since he still held the white jade token worth seventy days of lifespan, Luo Qiu decisively chose to purchase the information… considering it an initial investment.

However, losing six hours of lifespan at once felt a bit painful…

It wasn't until Zhong Luochen had drunk half of the flower tea that Luo Qiu slowly spoke, "Sir, you should know that your grandfather's life affects the fate of many people… whether it's your family, or others who consider him an enemy. The longer your grandfather lives, the more people will be able to live comfortably, and the more families will remain intact… and all of this simply requires one decision from him."

Zhong Luochen deeply agreed, "Precisely because of this, we cannot let him pass away like this!"

Luo Qiu suddenly swept his hand across the table. Several patterned cards appeared out of thin air on the blank surface. "Since you've given me the right to appraise, I will provide you with an appraisal. Please take a look."

Luo Qiu opened the first card on his left, which displayed the number '30'. Luo Qiu explained, "You can use thirty years of your life to buy five years of your grandfather's life."

Zhong Luochen was stunned and became somewhat indignant, "Thirty years for only five years? What kind of deal is this?"

Luo Qiu calmly replied, "Mr. Zhong, as far as I know, your generation in your family consists of three people, including yourself. The three of you have comparable abilities, with no one holding an advantage. Therefore, your chances of inheriting the vast family fortune are equal, one-third for each of you. Furthermore, the Zhong family's empire was built by your grandfather. But even if you possess outstanding abilities and even inherit your family, it will only take you ten years to reach the influence your grandfather currently possesses, something you've likely considered yourself. Of course, ten years is the most optimistic calculation. Therefore… ten years, multiplied by three, equals thirty years."

Zhong Luochen remained silent for a moment. "What is on the second card?"

Luo Qiu turned over the second card, which read 'Wisdom'.

This is easy to understand. It means trading your entire life's intelligence for your grandfather's five years. This way, his lifespan won't decrease, and he'll remain the young master of the Zhong Family, but he'll likely become mediocre.

In essence, it's a trade of his life for something else—something Zhong Luochen clearly couldn't accept.

"What's the third one?" Zhong Luochen subconsciously swallowed.

Luo Qiu gently flipped over the third card, which read 'Happiness'.

"What does this mean?" Zhong Luochen frowned, confused.

Luo Qiu said calmly, "It's very simple. No matter what you gain from now on, you will be unable to feel any happiness. You won't be able to feel the preciousness of love, you'll forget the rarity of family affection, you'll lose the joy of having descendants, and even a sense of satisfaction will leave you... no matter what you do or how you do it."

Seeing Zhong Luochen fall silent, Luo Qiu reached out to flip the fourth card.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Luochen suddenly called out, "No need. Use my happiness as the transaction fee!"

Luo Qiu was slightly surprised. "Mr. Zhong, you should understand that seeing the end is also one of your rights."

Zhong Luochen sneered, "Seeing the rest will probably only make things worse. This is indeed a place to make deals with demons. I can't trade my life, nor will I give up my intelligence!"

"Is that why you choose happiness?"

Zhong Luochen looked up, filled with confidence. "Yes! But don't forget, I have the Black Card. So, by trading happiness, I can still enjoy a discount... meaning, there are at least one or two things that bring me satisfaction that you can't take away!"

Luo Qiu tapped the table, neither confirming nor denying. "Then what do you intend to keep? Although it's only an 80% price, you can only keep one thing at most. While there are many things that bring happiness, they can ultimately be categorized into a few: love, family, hobbies, achievements, and peace of mind."

"Keep achievements for me," Zhong Luochen said directly.

"Are you sure? Perhaps a better choice will be revealed at the end," Luo Qiu said calmly.

Zhong Luochen shook his head. "I trust my own feelings. Further discussion is futile."

Luo Qiu nodded, then beckoned again. Before Zhong Luochen, an ancient sheepskin scroll slowly unfurled. "If the guest has made a decision, place your palm on it. This will make the contract officially effective."

Zhong Luochen placed his palm on it. His heart contracted sharply at that moment, a near-suffocating feeling of death. Zhong Luochen gasped for air, looking on in terror.

Luo Qiu said calmly, "Don't worry. Once the transaction is complete, you will be safe, Mr. Guest. And we always provide the goods first before collecting the transaction fee... this contract is just a small safeguard, as we don't want to see guests who have received their goods unwilling to pay."

Zhong Luochen took a deep breath. "Alright! Then, is my grandfather healed now?"

Luo Qiu shook his head. "Don't rush. First, you need to bring your grandfather to this place... Hmm, you don't need to come directly to me. Just find a place to settle down... After completing the first step, you should know how to find me."

The Black Card reappeared in Zhong Luochen's pocket, and he nodded, then quickly pushed open the club door and stepped out onto the bustling street.

Watching Zhong Luochen leave, Luo Qiu shook his head. He could have gone himself, but not through teleportation; he would need to take transportation.

His abilities weren't strong enough to cross several provinces—in fact, he could only move around the city at most right now.

As for the other reason, there wasn't really one.

It was just laziness...

"Congratulations, Master, you've successfully negotiated a deal," You Ye said to Luo Qiu with unreserved praise.

Luo Qiu took off his clown mask and fanned himself. "The deal isn't complete yet, so don't be happy. And because of the 20% discount, I feel like I've lost a lot."

But it was one of the rules, so no matter how much he felt he lost, Luo Qiu couldn't do anything about it. Although Zhong Luochen kept his happiness and achievements, the value of everything else, if sacrificed, far exceeded Luo Qiu's estimation.

Of course, this was after the transaction was completed.

"Master, what was the fourth card?" You Ye asked curiously.

Luo Qiu shook his head, didn't answer, and walked upstairs with his cane.

You Ye tilted her head, then reached out and turned over the fourth card that Luo Qiu hadn't taken.

It read: Twenty Years of Good Deeds.

She knew that the transaction fee for this fourth card wasn't readily available; Zhong Luochen would have to maintain a standard of doing good deeds for the next twenty years, without committing any bad acts, until the term expired and the transaction was completed.

In the words of the Eastern country: accumulating merit through good deeds.

The merit accumulated through twenty years of good deeds would serve as the final transaction fee.

"Master, that's a bit wicked," the beautiful maid doll said with a slight smile, putting the card away.