「The Shen Residence.」
A knock sounded at the door.
"Who is it?" Dong Mingfeng, clearly annoyed, went to see. It was soone Ge Shijian had sent to deliver herbal dicine to Shen Qiushi. There were two different kinds: one was the Sanhua Nourishing Spirit Soup, and the other was the Chaoyuan Qi-Tonic Soup, with six sachets of each.
Ge Shijian hadn't co himself. He didn't want to see Dong Mingfeng and the others, considering them bad luck.
After the ssenger explained the preparation instructions and left, Dong Mingfeng's mind began to wander. She stared intently at the dicine packages, a feverish thought taking hold. If I could just get soone to identify the herbs in these packets, couldn't I reverse-engineer the formulas and replicate them? Why would I need to wait for Shen Youling to coax the information out of Lin Tang?
"I've struck gold! Struck gold!" Dong Mingfeng whispered, glancing back with a mix of excitent and guilt. Seeing that Shen Qiushi was still resting and hadn't co out, she hurriedly left the house to find a traditional Chinese dicine doctor. She was quite cunning, splitting the contents of the sachets into several portions to take to different doctors. The high prices she offered ensured their cooperation. The doctors readily opened the packets, identified the herbs, and transcribed the nas for her.
In the end, Dong Mingfeng held two complete formulas in her hands, feeling imnsely proud.
When Shen Xin found out, he was so excited he nearly jumped for joy. "Good, good, good! We're going to make a fortune! I'll contact a pharmaceutical factory right away to start developnt…"
Business was a battlefield. The first to capture the market would make the most money. If they waited for Lin Tang to develop and sell the product first, he would seize the majority of the market, and they would be left with only scraps. They had to strike first!
Just then, there was another knock at the door.
"Who is it?" the two of them asked, their expressions wary as they quickly hid the formulas.
The next mont, the door was kicked open. A middle-aged man with an impatient look barged in and asked arrogantly, "Is this the Lin Family residence? Lin Tang's?"
"What damn Lin Family? This is the Shen Residence! Who the hell are you?" Dong Mingfeng cursed angrily.
"Hah?" Yue Songhe's expression darkened. He delivered two swift slaps, leaving Dong Mingfeng seeing stars. Shen Xin was about to call for help but was kicked to the ground before he could utter a word.
"Are you blind?" Yue Songhe sneered. "Didn't you see the emblem of the Zheng Family from Fragrant Island on my clothes?"
"The Zheng Family? Which—"
"Could it be the Zheng Family, one of the ten wealthiest families on Fragrant Island?! My god, it really is!"
Shen Xin and Dong Mingfeng's initial fury vanished, replaced by a chilling fear, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over their heads. The Zheng Family was too famous, renowned throughout the country. The family head, Zheng Hongsheng, was a legendary master of astrology, feng shui, and divination. His words were as precious as gold, and countless influential figures would fight tooth and nail just for a single reading from him.
What could such a powerful figure possibly want with the humble Shen Family? Utterly bewildered, Shen Xin and Dong Mingfeng rushed to apologize and respectfully invited Yue Songhe to take a seat. The commotion had also alerted Shen Qiushi, who hurried out to pay his respects, followed by Shen Jiayue and Lu Zizheng.
Yue Songhe got straight to the point. "My master observed the celestial phenona and, through divination, foresaw that a treasure has appeared here. This item is fated to be with my master, so he sent to retrieve it."
"May I ask… what exactly is this treasure?" Shen Qiushi inquired cautiously.
"It is a divine sword, one that can slice through iron as if it were mud!" Yue Songhe declared.
"A divine sword?" The family exchanged glances. Could he an the one Lin Tang has? But that thing isn't even here…
Seeing their hesitation, Yue Songhe's face hardened. "What, you dare deny it? I warn you, for my master to covet sothing of yours is your good fortune! If you're smart, you'll hand over the treasure willingly and earn a favor from the Zheng Family. Surely you know how valuable a favor from the Zheng Family is? Don't do this the hard way!"
Shen Qiushi trembled with genuine fear. "How would we dare? If the divine sword truly belonged to our Shen Family, we would hand it over without a second thought. The problem is, it belongs to Lin Tang, and he has already severed all ties with us. He is no longer a son-in-law of the Shen Family."
"Have the ties truly been severed completely?"
"Absolutely! I even disowned my own granddaughter, who divorced him, just to punish her."
"Heh." Yue Songhe sneered, then rose to his feet. As he walked out, he left them with a parting threat. "If I find out you lied to , the Shen Family will cease to exist."
After seeing the formidable man off, the Shen family held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
"That disciple of Master Zheng has such a terrifying aura!"
"I couldn't even look him in the eye…"
"See? Didn't I say it was right not to take Lin Tang back? With his foul temper, would he ever agree to hand over the divine sword? It would have been another disaster, dragging us down until not a single bone was left!"
"Exactly! What a relief!"
"Lin Tang is dood now. If Yan Renjie doesn't kill him first, the Zheng Family will surely crush him."
As Shen Jiayue was gloating, Shen Qiushi shot her a glare before hurriedly trying to contact Lin Tang, but he couldn't get through. "I hope the boy knows how to read the situation and acts accordingly. He should give up that divine sword to earn the Zheng Family's favor. If he then uses that favor to develop his career on Fragrant Island, his future would be limitless," he sighed.
"That…" Shen Jiayue was stunned. He's right! If Lin Tang willingly hands over the divine sword and latches onto the Zheng Family, his status would skyrocket!
Lin Tang, you better not back down! Shen Jiayue prayed silently. She didn't want to see him soar to new heights; she wanted to see him beaten to a bloody pulp.
"What a waste of my ti." Yue Songhe got into the car, his face disgruntled. After a mont's thought, he instructed the driver to take him straight to the Jiangbei branch of the True Martial Association.
「Soon, he arrived.」
He announced his identity with great arrogance. Wei Shanhe, Lu Liangfei, and the others were all visibly shaken. Huangfu Zhan also rushed out to greet him. The Shen Family, being outsiders to the martial world, were clueless, but Huangfu Zhan knew the truth very well. Zheng Hongsheng was not just a feng shui master; he was also a grandmaster of martial arts! His fa in feng shui simply overshadowed his other talents, and now in his old age, he focused on self-cultivation and rarely fought, causing many to forget his terrifying power.
Even soone as arrogant as Yan Renjie would have to kneel and kowtow before Master Zheng… Huangfu Zhan thought.
Even though Yue Songhe himself likely hadn't even reached the Innate realm in his martial arts, Huangfu Zhan remained extrely respectful, not daring to show the slightest neglect. When they learned he was there for the divine sword, they weren't surprised.
"As expected!"
"He ca so quickly!"
"I never thought a titan like Master Zheng would also be interested in this divine sword… but it makes sense. If he were just a rich man with no martial skill, he might not want it. But as a martial arts grandmaster, it's normal that he couldn't resist the temptation."
A martial arts grandmaster ard with a divine sword could easily take on three opponents of the sa level. That was the weapon's greatest allure.
Wei Zichu stood on the side, trying to be invisible. She wore a timid expression, but internally, she was fuming. What do you an, 'this item is fated for your master'? Calculating it by observing the stars at night? How shaless! Ugh, Big Brother Lin is in trouble again. I can't let him act recklessly. I have to warn him…
As she was pondering, she heard Yue Songhe's indifferent voice. "Since you're the top dogs here, you must have a way to find Lin Tang's current location. I'll give you ten minutes."
"…Yes, sir." Huangfu Zhan and the others didn't dare to refuse and could only comply.
Wei Zichu seized the opportunity to slip away and quickly called Lin Tang. "Hello? Big Brother Lin, where are you? The Li Family's place? Listen, sothing terrible has happened…" After explaining the situation, she earnestly implored him to consider the bigger picture and not to clash with the Zheng Family.
"What Zheng Family? Never heard of them," Lin Tang scoffed. "The sword is in my hands right now. If he has the guts, tell him to co and get it! I'll show him how I chop off his claws!"
"Oh, you…!" Wei Zichu was frantic. Why wouldn't Big Brother Lin listen to reason?
She was about to try persuading him again when she felt a chill in the air. Turning around, her soul nearly fled her body. Yue Songhe was standing not far away, watching her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Her hand trembled as she quickly ended the call.
"Speak. Where is he?" Yue Songhe demanded.
"I… I don't know…"
"Hmm?"
"He… He's at the Li Residence," she whispered, lowering her head as she saw Wei Shanhe and Huangfu Zhan making frantic gestures at her.
"Hehe, if I'm not mistaken, this boy Lin Tang has no intention of handing over the item, does he? He bad-mouthed too, didn't he? And looks down on the Zheng Family?" Yue Songhe sneered.
"No, no! He would never dare to insult you!" Wei Zichu hurriedly waved her hands.
"You've been cursing in your head, haven't you?" Yue Songhe's expression turned suddenly glacial.
"Ah, that…" Wei Zichu was stunned and shook her head in denial. How could he have possibly guessed? Don't tell he can read minds!
SMACK!
Wei Shanhe, who had always doted on his granddaughter, rushed over and struck her with a vicious slap. The force sent her flying several ters, her mouth bleeding as she collapsed in a pitiful heap. Without a second glance at her, Wei Shanhe bowed deeply to Yue Songhe. "My granddaughter is young and ignorant! She has gravely offended you! I beg for your forgiveness!"
"Hahaha—" Yue Songhe laughed heartily and started walking away. Just as Wei Shanhe thought he had spared Wei Zichu and began to feel a sense of relief, Yue Songhe spoke without looking back. "Bring this wretched girl. She's coming with to the Li Residence."
Wei Shanhe was speechless. He secretly clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to strike the man, but he lacked the courage. All he could do was help his tearful granddaughter to her feet and follow Yue Songhe like a lackey.
Upon arriving at the Li Residence, Wei Shanhe went to announce their presence. When the Li family mbers saw him, they rushed to greet him respectfully. After learning of Yue Songhe's identity, they were overco with fear and trepidation, bowing reverently.
However, Yue Songhe did not enter imdiately. Instead, he gripped Wei Zichu's shoulder and forced her down with imnse pressure. "Kneel!"
THUMP!
Wei Zichu collapsed heavily onto her knees. Yue Songhe then stomped his foot down fiercely on her head.
PFFT—
She coughed up a mouthful of blood as her small face was brutally smashed against the cold ground, her features contorted by the force.
Wei Shanhe was horrified and imdiately knelt, pleading for rcy. But Yue Songhe turned a deaf ear, continuing to grind his foot into Wei Zichu's head while stating indifferently, "Who is Lin Tang? Get out here and kneel for , too!"
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