After exchanging glances with his brothers, William Rowan turned to Leon and asked respectfully, "Mr. Li, how exactly is your lifespan priced? And if we want to buy it, how would the transaction be carried out?"
Leon looked at him and said evenly, "A year of lifespan is priced differently for different people."
He paused, then continued, "What one person can create in a year may only be a small amount of value. What another person can create in a year may be a staggering sum. So I use money as the standard. Under normal circumstances, one year of lifespan is priced at one-fifth of the value the buyer can create in a year."
Then he added, "Also, I only sell one year at a time."
When the four brothers heard this, their expressions shifted slightly.
A year of life was priced at one-fifth of the value a person could create in a year.
For ordinary people, that number would already be astronomical.
For a family like the Rowans, the figure would be even more frightening.
If this were anything else in the world, such a price would have sounded absurd.
But this was lifespan.
And when it came to lifespan, the price no longer seemed impossible to accept.
After a brief silence, William Rowan said respectfully, "Mr. Li, in that case, we would like to buy one year of lifespan for our uncle first."
Leon nodded lightly. "All right."
…
Inside the hundredfold acceleration field, the five of them discussed the details of the transaction for a while longer.
Only after everything had been settled did Leon remove the acceleration field.
To everyone outside, it seemed as if the four Rowan brothers had suddenly appeared by the corridor window.
A trace of shock immediately spread across many faces.
Richard Rowan's expression darkened. He swept his eyes across the entire floor and said coldly, "What happened tonight is not to be spoken of to anyone."
His gaze passed over the Rowan family members present, the bodyguards, the servants, the doctors, and the nurses.
"If even a single word gets out," he said, "that person will be treated as a traitor to the Rowan family."
William Rowan remained silent.
Victor Rowan remained silent.
Charles Rowan remained silent.
But the attitude of the four brothers was already made perfectly clear.
No one doubted that they meant it.
The atmosphere on the floor tightened at once.
Then, one after another, voices answered hurriedly.
"Understood, Mr. Rowan."
"We know what to do."
"Please rest assured."
"Not a word will leave this place."
William Rowan turned to the old steward beside him and ordered, "Old Li, clear the floor."
Then he looked toward the doctors and nurses as well. "Everyone."
The old steward bowed at once. "Yes, sir."
Some of the younger members of the Rowan family were still confused. They had no idea what had just happened, and they did not understand why even the medical staff had to leave.
But seeing the expressions on the elders' faces, none of them dared ask a single question.
The old steward immediately began escorting people out.
The bodyguards withdrew.
The servants withdrew.
The family members withdrew.
The doctors and nurses withdrew as well.
Soon, the entire floor was emptied.
In the end, only Leon, the four Rowan brothers, and Edward Rowan, who lay unconscious in bed, remained.
Leon looked at Edward Rowan, then suddenly seemed to think of something and said, "Bring me a red ink pad."
William Rowan immediately replied, "Yes, Mr. Li."
He quickly went to the stairwell himself and passed down the instruction.
…
A few minutes later, Leon entered Edward Rowan's bedroom.
The four Rowan brothers followed him in.
Leon walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down. Then he took out the Time Sale Contract from the folder he had brought and laid it flat in front of him.
After that, he picked up his pen and began filling in the relevant information on the contract.
When he was done, he looked up at William Rowan and said, "One of you will sign for him. Then put his thumbprint on it."
William Rowan stepped forward at once and took the folder with both hands. "Yes, Mr. Li."
At first glance, the contract looked extremely plain.
But after everything they had seen tonight, none of the four brothers dared show the slightest hint of contempt toward it.
William lowered his head and read through the entire contract carefully, line by line.
Only after confirming everything did he uncap the pen and sign Edward Rowan's name in the space for Party A.
At that moment, one of his brothers stepped forward with the red ink pad that had just been brought in.
He carefully lifted Edward Rowan's hand, pressed the old man's thumb into the red ink, and then pressed it onto the Time Sale Contract.
A red thumbprint was left on the paper.
Only then did Leon take the contract back.
He glanced at it briefly, then signed his own name in the space for Party B.
The moment his name was written, the information above Edward Rowan's head changed at once:
Name: Edward Rowan
Age: 98
Remaining Lifespan: 12 seconds
There were only twelve seconds left.
12.
11.
10.
9.
8.
The atmosphere in the room became so tense that it was hard to breathe.
All four Rowan brothers stared fixedly at Edward Rowan on the bed. At the same time, they could not help glancing at Leon.
This was the moment that would determine whether everything that had happened tonight was real.
5.
4.
Leon said calmly, "The payment is to be transferred into my account within three business days. If there is any delay, you will bear the consequences yourselves."
William's expression turned serious at once. He lowered his head slightly and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Li. The payment will be made in full and on time."
Richard immediately said, "We would not dare delay what is owed to you."
Charles also said, "We will arrange the transfer as soon as this is over."
Victor gave a solemn nod.
Leon said nothing more.
He simply looked at Edward Rowan.
3.
2.
The line on the monitor beside the bed was almost flat.
Edward Rowan's body looked as though it had already stepped over the threshold of death.
Then Leon raised his hand and made a light motion toward Edward Rowan, as if tossing something invisible into his body.
There was no light.
There was no sound.
There was no visible fluctuation.
But in the next instant, Edward Rowan's heart, which had nearly stopped, suddenly began beating again.
Then once more.
And once more.
Blood began to move through his body again. Warmth gradually returned to his limbs. The ashen color on his face began to fade, and even his aged skin seemed to recover a trace of life.
On the monitor, the nearly flat line suddenly rose.
Then another heartbeat followed.
Then another.
The alarm tone of the machine changed.
Its rhythm began to stabilize.
A steady heartbeat sounded clearly in the room.
One of Edward Rowan's fingers moved slightly.
Then his wrist twitched.
A moment later, even his eyelids trembled.
Under the shocked gaze of the four brothers, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
At the same time, the information above his head changed once again:
Name: Edward Rowan
Age: 98
Remaining Lifespan: 365 days
For a moment, no one in the room spoke.
The four Rowan brothers simply stared at Edward Rowan.
He had clearly already reached death's door, yet now he had been pulled back by force.
One year.
A full year of life.
Not through medicine.
Not through surgery.
Not through any means the modern world could explain.
But through a transaction.
Through a contract.
Through Leon.