They had witnessed a stubbornly unconventional young man.
But they would certainly not agree with what he said.
This wasn't jealousy, but contempt.
Ye Bufan was also from a top aristocratic family, yet he didn't possess such arrogant behavior.
Ye Bufan would not let Chu Tianhu ruin Zhou Yan's plan to purchase the shop. He secretly messaged Zhou Yan, asking him to hand over that spatial stone to him.
Zhou Yan quickly understood Ye Bufan's intention: he didn't want Zhou Yan to face Chu Tianhu directly.
This Chu Tianhu was from a top aristocratic family in the Divine Dragon Kingdom, and most people indeed dared not offend him.
However, Ye Bufan was not afraid of such a person, which was why he used his name to purchase this shop.
Although Zhou Yan was not afraid of Chu Tianhu, since Ye Bufan had said so, he naturally agreed and handed the spatial stone to him.
Upon receiving the spatial stone, Ye Bufan turned to Wang Li and said, "Senior sister, you don't need to worry about what he might do to you. It's a fair transaction, a fair sale. This is the spatial stone you need. We, the Dragon King family, are not like some people who force sales."
Ye Bufan rarely invoked his Dragon King family's name, but when facing someone like Chu Tianhu, he naturally needed to leverage his family's prestige to compete, proving he was not afraid of him.
At the same time, Ye Bufan was also telling Wang Li that he would take responsibility for any issues, so she shouldn't be afraid of Chu Tianhu.
Wang Li naturally understood the meaning behind Ye Bufan's words. Moreover, she quite disliked Chu Tianhu.
Since Ye Bufan was a scion of the Dragon King family, she had even fewer reasons to worry. She replied, "The requirements for purchasing this shop have long been public knowledge. Whoever presents what I need first will naturally be the one I sell to. Here is the shop's deed. Please take care of it."
After Wang Li handed the deed to Ye Bufan, she left the premises.
Chu Tianhu was furious, but he couldn't do much. He could only glare at Ye Bufan with his tiger-like eyes.
However, Chu Tianhu was clearly not an impulsive person. He soon started laughing and patted Ye Bufan's shoulder, saying, "It's just a small shop. Since young brother Ye needs it, then take it."
After speaking, he smiled at Luo Yushuang again and said, "Sister Yushuang, I am your best choice. You are destined to marry me in this lifetime."
With that, Chu Tianhu laughed heartily and left with his subordinates.
"Chu Tianhu, you old tiger, I'd rather remain unmarried forever than marry you!" Luo Yushuang said angrily.
Lin Tan watched the scene unfold and commented, "That guy seems difficult to deal with."
"He's a smiling tiger. If it were anyone else, he would have acted long ago, but towards me, he'll only resort to underhanded tactics," Ye Bufan said knowingly.
"He's indeed a smiling tiger. He managed to suppress his anger in that situation. He's not someone who only acts on impulse, and he's truly difficult to deal with."
Zhou Yan had been observing him the entire time. This antagonist was not a mindless brute.
That was what made him troublesome.
If he were a mindless, impulsive person who resorted to violence after a few words, he wouldn't be able to cause much of a stir.
Someone like Chu Tianhu was the most difficult to handle.
"Don't worry, he and I have always been at odds. Even without today's incident, we are like fire and water."
"However, since you two are getting close to me, you'll need to be cautious in the future. While he won't actively seek trouble with you, if you encounter them again, some underhanded tactics are unavoidable."
Ye Bufan reminded them and added, "We've implicated you. If you encounter any trouble in the future, be sure to inform me immediately."
"That's right, I'm not afraid of that tiger!" Luo Yushuang chimed in quickly.
Ye Bufan glanced at his sister and said, "If you could cultivate harder, you might actually be able to defeat him. With your current strength, you'd still need to ask me for help if you met him."
Luo Yushuang immediately became displeased and replied, "Isn't it natural for a younger brother to protect his older sister? If I don't give you the chance to protect me, wouldn't you lose your motivation to cultivate?"
Everyone was a bit speechless. Luo Yushuang could say such a thing so righteously. She truly lived up to her reputation as a master of backstabbing teammates.
Ye Bufan couldn't be bothered to deal with Luo Yushuang. If she weren't his own sister, he wouldn't bother with her.
Ye Bufan handed the deed to Zhou Yan and said, "This shop is ostensibly bought by me. Chu Tianhu won't dare to do anything. Actually, I'm quite pleased to have made him inwardly frustrated."
"Thanks."
Zhou Yan nodded. This Ye Bufan was truly loyal.
He truly lived up to being someone with a protagonist's halo.
Even if Chu Tianhu sought trouble with him, he wasn't too worried. He was a lone warrior!
He had no parents or siblings to worry about; if anyone dared to provoke him, he would make them suffer.
"Do you need me to help recruit some staff? I can assist with that," Lin Tan inquired.
"Since you have the intention, I'll leave it to you. Salary and benefits are not an issue, as long as the work is done well," Zhou Yan replied.
"Alright, with someone like you who has money but nowhere to spend it, there's no need to be polite. I'll handle this. And my territory's produce must be sold here," Lin Tan stated her intentions.
Zhou Yan was surprised. So this was the kid's plan.
With his wealth, it would be easy for him to open a shop. By doing this, he was merely showing his solidarity, and he would undoubtedly stand up for Zhou Yan if Chu Tianhu caused trouble.
Although Lin Tan's strength was lacking, she was quite loyal.
"Done, no problem," Zhou Yan replied.
"And me! I am the nominal owner of this shop. I'll arrange for some people from the Ye family to help manage it and also to purchase some goods," Ye Bufan also chimed in.
He did this to prevent Chu Tianhu from suspecting anything. With the Ye family present, even if Chu Tianhu wanted to make a move, he would have to consider the consequences of opposing the Dragon King family.
"Yes, yes, yes," Zhou Yan naturally understood Ye Bufan's intentions.
"Also remember to pay them," Ye Bufan reminded him.
Zhou Yan nodded and said, "Am I short of that little money?"
Everyone chuckled.
"And me, and me! I want to purchase goods too!" Luo Yushuang exclaimed.
"Go away. You always buy all sorts of junk and don't focus on developing your territory properly," Ye Bufan quickly said.
The siblings started arguing again.
"If any of you need anything, feel free to participate. Having a shop to help acquire goods is more convenient than buying them yourself," Zhou Yan said to Li Qingjin and the others.
"Since you've said so, we won't be polite," Li Qingjin said with a smile.
"Don't worry, I won't stand idly by if anything happens," Gu Nianyun stepped forward and said righteously.
"Count me in! I won't let brother Ye get hurt," Dong Qingyi also added.
And so, Zhou Yan's shop in Ziwei Academy was opened.
Ye Bufan quickly contacted his people and arranged for several members of the Ye family, including powerful cultivators and beautiful women skilled in managing shops.
This way, Zhou Yan was much more relaxed, only needing to pay their remuneration.
For Zhou Yan, who was not short of money, this was not an issue at all.
(Author: Everyone, get some rest early. I'm going to sleep too! I'll continue writing tomorrow.)