Once he was gone, the others looked away.
One of the females looked at Bai Zhi and her group curiously, asking, "You didn't hunt any S-level Beasts, so how do you have so many Star Coins to buy things?"
After speaking, she seemed to feel her words were a bit blunt and quickly added, "Could you teach us your method? We want to buy new clothes too."
Bai Zhi smiled openly and said, "There's no real method. You just need good luck. As long as you win the lottery, you can get a huge sum of Star Coins. We're actually moving soon, so we probably won't be living here anymore. Thank you all for taking care of our family these past few years."
Upon hearing this, everyone had a sudden realization. "So you won the lottery! No wonder you're suddenly rich."
Someone said with envy, "Your luck is amazing..."
"Exactly. If I had that kind of luck, I wouldn't have to worry about the harsh winter."
While everyone else was focused on how Bai Zhi's family got rich, only Di heard her mention moving. She couldn't help but ask, "You're moving? Where are you moving to?"
Bai Zhi didn't give a specific location, only saying, "It's a little far from here."
Just then, a female suddenly said, "Bai Zhi, since you have so much money, why don't you lend us some Star Coins to get through the harsh winter? We'd be grateful."
Her words immediately struck a chord with the other Beastmen. Until now, most of them had been worrying about how to survive the harsh winter. Hearing the female's suggestion, their eyes lit up as they stared at Bai Zhi.
"That's right, Bai Zhi! Since your family is rich now, you should lend some to us. We're all neighbors, we should help each other out. If you need anything in the future, we'll help you too."
Bai Zhi laughed, angered by their sheer audacity.
'It's true,' she thought. 'You really do laugh when you're speechless.'
'How can they be so shameless, asking to borrow money right before the harsh winter?'
'What if we don't have much left? If we lend it to them, how are *we* supposed to survive?!'
'But clearly, they hadn't considered any of that. Otherwise, they never would have said such a thing.'
Bai Zhi shot back, "And why should I lend you money just because you ask? Because you've got the nerve?"
Then, she deliberately recounted her spending for the day. "As you know, I just bought a lot of clothes for my Beast Husbands. I have many Beast Husbands, so I bought a lot of clothes. And when you buy clothes, you need accessories to go with them, right? So I bought each of them some accessories. I also bought six Light Computers. Oh, right, we also ate at a restaurant in the mall and paid for our room. All told, that came out to a million Star Coins. After we move, we'll have to buy all new furniture, decorations, and all sorts of things, which will be another huge expense."
"Oh, and I almost forgot! We still have to prepare supplies for the harsh winter. As you know, my Beast Husbands are all injured. They probably won't be able to hunt before winter, which is another considerable expense."
Bai Zhi flashed a smile. "So I'm terribly sorry, but I don't have any money to lend you."
When they heard she had spent a million Star Coins, they were so shocked they even forgot to retort to her earlier passive-aggressive remarks. All they could think was how they wished that million Star Coins belonged to them.
When they heard she had "just" bought clothes, Light Computers, and accessories, their eyes were filled with one thought: 'What a waste! Such an incredible waste!'
Someone immediately muttered under their breath, "Buying clothes is one thing, but accessories too? What's the use of accessories? You can look at them, but you can't eat them!"
An even more shameless old female said directly, "Bai Zhi, you just bought all those clothes and things. Why don't you see if you can return them? It's such a large sum of money. With the money you spent on jewelry, you could have bought us something nice, don't you think? Besides, don't they usually go without clothes anyway? There was no need to buy them."
"That's right. It's not that you can't buy things, but there's no need to buy so much. If you had saved that money, all of us could have had a good winter."
Bai Zhi: "..."
'These people really have some nerve!'
'Their scheming was so obvious it was practically hitting her in the face!'
She glanced around. Although the others hadn't spoken, it was clear they all agreed with what was said.
Bai Zhi put on a fake smile. "So, what you're saying is, the only 'proper' way to spend my money is to lend it to you? But why should I? Because you're old? Do I even know you? Does it bother you that I'm willing to spend money on my Beast Husbands? You're just a salty old hag with way too much time on your hands!"
"I have money, yes, but why on earth should I lend it to you? Don't try to guilt-trip me. I don't have much of a conscience to begin with."
"Is there anything else? If not, everyone go home. Stop blocking the way."
Seeing that Bai Zhi was unwilling to lend them money, the crowd's faces fell. Their true colors were revealed as someone said sourly, "Fine, don't lend it. Why resort to insults? So what if you have a little stinking money? You say you won the lottery, but who knows where that money really came from!"
"Exactly! We're all neighbors, and you won't even help with something this small! You're heartless, completely black-hearted."
Bai Zhi sneered. "If you know how to talk, then talk properly. If not, go sit at the dog's table! You're all so conscientious, so how come I never saw you lending me any Star Coins in the past? Besides, aren't you only making a scene right now because of this 'stinking money'? Usually, when I need something, you all run away faster than rabbits, but the second you hear there's something in it for you, you all come crowding around. Didn't you just say the money came from a suspicious source? Then why don't you all leave?"
The middle-aged female who had been rebuked was breathing heavily with rage. She pointed a trembling finger at Bai Zhi and shouted, "You! Don't you dare come begging us for help in the future!"
Bai Zhi's smile was radiant. "Money can solve 99% of the world's problems, and you can't help with the remaining 1%."
At her words, the middle-aged female staggered backward, her eyes rolling up into her head as she nearly fainted.
Her Beast Husbands rushed to pat her on the chest, trying to keep her from passing out from anger. One of them, seeing his female being bullied like this, looked ready to attack. But then he saw Hu Yan, standing beside Bai Zhi and staring at them, and instantly remembered how Hu Yan had calmly dispatched a B-level Flame Beast during a previous hunt.
He resentfully relaxed his tensed muscles and said viciously, "Bai Zhi, don't push it! You should learn not to burn your bridges. You'd better pray you stay rich for the rest of your life. Let's see how smug you are when you're broke!"
Bai Zhi was oblivious to his internal thoughts, merely looking confused. "But I have money now, so why should I worry about whether I'll have it in the future? I can live happily right now. Why would I go looking for trouble and make myself miserable? That's so strange."
The crowd of Beastmen: "..."