I Become The Richest Man With A monthly Salary of Twenty Thousand Yuan-Chapter 662 - 467 Paid Up_2

"If my father’s five years of lifespan are taken back, will it affect him?"

"Naturally, there will be some impact," Xia Liang said with a light smile. "I’m afraid Old Master Ning Jiacheng’s vitality will be worse than before, but his lifespan won’t decrease because of it. With proper care, he can still recover."

Having received this answer, Ning Mingjun breathed a sigh of relief, but he still didn’t nod. Instead, after pondering for a moment, he posed a second question.

"Master Xia, may I ask how many years of life my father has left?"

"How many years?" Xia Liang laughed softly. "Old Master Ning Jiacheng originally wouldn’t have lived past six months. If I hadn’t saved the Ning Family’s little granddaughter today, the old master wouldn’t have even lasted a month. Otherwise," Xia Liang paused, then continued, "why do you think I would give him five years of life?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Mingjun’s face turned even paler. He hadn’t realized Old Master Ning Jiacheng had so little time left. If he were to take back those five years, his father wouldn’t even survive the year. But Ning Mingjun also understood that even if the old master knew he didn’t have long, he would willingly return the years. Just a moment ago, Ning Mingjun had seen it with his own eyes; his father had been trying to approach Xia Liang to plead with him, wanting to refuse the five years of life for himself.

"Half a year... half a year," Ning Mingjun kept muttering, clenching his fists.

At that moment, Xia Liang spoke. "Well, have you decided? Just nod, and I can retrieve the old master’s five years of lifespan. You won’t have to lose any of your own."

Listening to Xia Liang’s words, Ning Mingjun, almost without hesitation, gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "No, that’s not necessary. I voluntarily offer five years of my life to my father."

"Are you sure? You should understand what losing five years of life means, right?" The corner of Xia Liang’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.

"I’ve thought it through," Ning Mingjun said, his gaze resolute. "As the saying goes, our bodies are a gift from our parents. The old master has looked after me for most of my life. Now that he is getting on in years, what’s wrong with using five of my years in exchange for five more for him? As for the consequences, I will bear them myself."

After speaking, Ning Mingjun raised his head with determination. Then, while Xia Liang wasn’t looking, he snatched the brush and talisman from his hand. Under the astonished gaze of Old Master Ning Jiacheng, he quickly wrote his own name on the black side of the talisman.

"Mingjun!"

Watching Ning Mingjun’s actions, Old Master Ning Jiacheng was simply too late to stop him. By the time he reached his son’s side, Ning Mingjun had already written his name on the Lifespan Talisman.

After finishing the last stroke, Ning Mingjun closed his eyes, bracing himself for the changes to his body. But strangely, after a few breaths passed, he didn’t feel the slightest change. Opening his eyes, he found that Old Master Ning Jiacheng, standing beside him, looked equally puzzled.

At the same time, Xia Liang took back the Lifespan Talisman from Ning Mingjun’s hand with a faint smile. "The Lifespan Talisman only works with the name I write," he said slowly. "Otherwise, with so many people in the world sharing the same name, who knows which one you’re writing about? Without me, this is nothing more than a blank sheet of paper."

"So that’s how it is." The confusion in Ning Mingjun’s eyes vanished, and he quickly continued, "Then, Master Xia, please write my name on this Lifespan Talisman. I wish to give my father five years of my lifespan unconditionally!"

"Master Xia, please stop!" Old Master Ning Jiacheng pleaded. "I’d rather not have these five years of life! Please don’t reduce Mingjun’s lifespan!"

Listening to the pleas of the father and son below, Xia Liang laughed loudly twice. Then, he tossed the Lifespan Talisman into the air. Within moments, it burst into flames on its own, dissipating into nothing before the eyes of the stunned pair. They were both left staring, their faces full of confusion, unsure of what Xia Liang meant. Only Wu Tong, who knew Xia Liang a little better, roughly grasped his intentions.

Old Master Ning Jiacheng asked uncertainly, "Grand Master Xia, what is the meaning of this?"

What did he mean by that? Was he going to return the five years to Mingjun, or was he still going to take them away? Ning Mingjun looked equally puzzled.

Xia Liang began to explain. "Seeing how anxious you both are, I was just joking. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as exchanging lifespans. If I want to increase or decrease someone’s life, I just do it. The rule about needing to exchange them was set by Little Yama, not me."

Upon hearing Xia Liang’s words, both men were momentarily stunned. Soon, delight flashed across Old Master Ning Jiacheng’s face, and he hurriedly asked, "Does Master Xia mean there’s no need to take five years from my son, and you won’t take back the five years you gave me?"

His voice trembled slightly. From Xia Liang’s words, he could tell that he didn’t even care about Lord Yama. And now, Xia Liang was nodding with a smile.

"As I said, it was a joke. Of course, I won’t take your son’s five years of life. And I won’t take back the five years of lifespan I gave you, Old Master."

"Thank you, Grand Master Xia!" After receiving a definite answer, Old Master Ning Jiacheng’s legs gave way, and he started to kneel, but Xia Liang caught him and held him up.

Meanwhile, Ning Mingjun, who was already on the ground, began to kowtow tearfully, knocking his head against the floor in gratitude. It looked like after today, Xiangjiang would have another of Xia Liang’s fanatical believers.

Xia Liang spoke again. "Well, now that the first gift has been delivered, it’s time for the second one."

Only then did Old Master Ning Jiacheng remember that Xia Liang had promised to give the Ning Family two gifts. Increasing his lifespan by five years was just the first; there was still a second one to come. As he spoke, Xia Liang casually took a sheet of paper from nearby, wrote down several names, and handed it to Old Master Ning Jiacheng.

"What is this?" he asked, receiving the paper with the utmost respect. He looked at the few familiar names and was somewhat perplexed. The individuals listed were all members of the Ning Family, and most held high positions with influence over the family’s future. Moreover, many were his blood relatives; while not his closest kin, they were far closer than ordinary members of the clan.

"These are just a few people who are disloyal to your Ning Family," Xia Liang remarked casually. He then sighed and continued, "The business world is a battlefield, after all!"

Hearing this, Old Master Ning Jiacheng immediately understood. He recalled a few recent disastrous investments that had caused the Ning Family severe losses... it seemed the people on this list had been involved! Apparently, they had become spies for other families or conglomerates. Indeed, when enough money was on the table, blood ties meant nothing. These people must have been secretly plotting how to carve up the Ning Family. To think, one of them had already climbed to a very high position. He had been planning to promote the man further in the next couple of days. If that happened, the Ning Family would have truly begun to crumble from within. The value of this list was practically incalculable!

Noticing his father’s shock, Ning Mingjun took the list and immediately recognized its staggering value. A few dozen buildings were nothing compared to this!

Having handed the list to Ning Jiacheng, Xia Liang stretched lazily, took Wu Tong by the arm, and headed for the door. "That’s all for today. I’ll be leaving Xiangjiang tomorrow, so tonight is my last chance to take a stroll. You can see yourselves out."

Watching Xia Liang’s receding figure, Old Master Ning Jiacheng finally snapped out of his shock and hastily called out, "Our Ning Family can never repay Master Xia’s generosity! I am willing to gift thirty percent of our Ning Family’s shares to Master Xia!"