South of the Yangtze River! You shall be its agent!
Hearing Qin Fan’s declaration, Chang Yuanyi froze as if struck by lightning, his hand still outstretched and his mouth agape.
This was sothing he never dared to imagine!
The last ti, securing the agency for the East China region was enough to make him ecstatic. For that alone, his grandfather and father had praised him countless tis. But he never expected that after such a short ti, Qin Fan would drop this bombshell: the entire region south of the Yangtze River.
Although Qin Fan had excluded Lingnan, Chang Yuanyi would have consciously steered clear of that sensitive royal territory anyway. The area south of the Yangtze River covered more than a dozen provinces. This represented not just a massive financial windfall but, more importantly, an incredible elevation in status.
If the old Chang Yuanyi was a man whom no one in Jiangsu and Zhejiang failed to recognize, then after the pivotal banquet at the Southern Country Villa, his identity as the agent for East China made him a household na within the elite circles of the entire region. This demonstrated the imnse influence that ca with being an agent for Spirit Water No. 1.
And now, Qin Fan had offered him the unimaginably vast territory south of the Yangtze River.
This... this was half the country!
Thinking of his future path south of the Yangtze, Chang Yuanyi’s mouth went dry. His blood surged with pure excitent.
"Your humble servant thanks you for this imnse grace!"
"Your humble servant thanks you for this imnse grace!"
"Your humble servant thanks you for this imnse grace!"
He no longer cared if the gesture was excessively subservient. Watching Qin Fan’s departing figure, Chang Yuanyi suppressed the urge to chase after him. Instead, he faced Qin Fan’s back and bowed deeply three tis, just as a court minister would to his monarch in ancient tis.
Three bows, three shouts. This was Chang Yuanyi’s declaration.
He knew that the significance of "south of the Yangtze River" could never be fully expressed by these gestures. He did it to declare his unwavering loyalty to Qin Fan—to announce his stance to the entire world.
He, Chang Yuanyi, had acknowledged his master! And that master’s na was Qin Fan, a monstrously talented young man several years his junior!
Following Qin Fan’s declaration and Chang Yuanyi’s three bows, the scene once again fell into a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
These scions of powerful families all knew about Spirit Water No. 1. They understood exactly what "agent for the region south of the Yangtze River" ant. They were stunned by the sheer scale of Qin Fan’s power play and equally astounded by Chang Yuanyi’s dramatic display of fealty.
As for Li Qiuzhe and his lackeys, they didn’t understand the first thing about Spirit Water No. 1 or what an agency entailed. But they certainly knew who Chang Yuanyi was—arguably the number one figure among Jinling’s second generation. For him to act this way, and so spontaneously?
Have they all gone mad?!
The motion of splashing paint halted. Everyone stood frozen, utterly stupefied.
A mont later, as they snapped out of their daze, the various young masters crowded around Chang Yuanyi to offer their congratulations. From this day forward, there was no doubt: Chang Yuanyi had been elevated from Master Chang of East China to Master Chang of the entire region south of the Yangtze River.
---
Their fingers tightly interlocked, they smiled at the myriad facets of life, admiring the splendor of the mortal world.
This was the life Qin Fan sought. It had been his desire in his past life on Earth, and it remained his desire on the Cangqiong Continent. Alas, the cruel hand of Creation had stripped him of the right to pursue it.
Now, reborn, he held Jiang Yino’s delicate hand as they andered through the bustling Jinling City. A spontaneous wave of happiness washed over him. He hadn’t felt this relaxed and content for five hundred long years.
"If only ti could stand still, that would be wonderful," Qin Fan finally said with a soft chuckle after they had walked several hundred ters in comfortable silence. "Just to keep walking like this, on and on, until we grow old, until we die."
"Qin Fan!" Jiang Yino suddenly stopped.
"Mm?" Qin Fan paused and turned to her. Knowing her heart was brimming with questions, he looked at her with infinite tenderness and humd in acknowledgnt.
"I have so, so many questions," she said, her eyes filled with earnestness. "I know there are so things I probably shouldn’t know right now, but I still have to ask."
She knew so topics might be beyond her current understanding, but she also knew that if they were truly going to build a future together, there was much she needed to understand.
"No, there is nothing you shouldn’t know," Qin Fan replied, his playful deanor giving way to seriousness. "If you want to know, I will tell you. I knew this incident would leave you with many questions. Ask away. I never planned on hiding anything from you."
After a mont of hesitation, Jiang Yino focused her swirling thoughts and succinctly voiced the question on everyone’s mind. "How did you do all of this? And just how many hidden identities do you have?"
How did he do all of this? How many identities was he hiding?
Qin Fan let out a soft breath and smiled. He took her small hand again and they resud their slow walk forward. Jiang Yino watched him intently, waiting for his answer.
"It’s because they revere . Because they all want to ride my coattails. Because they’re all desperate to get on my good side," he began. "Do you rember when that bald man ca to school carrying thorns on his back to atone for his offense? That was because of . He was at that dinner with and Chang Yuanyi, and he was scared out of his wits, just like that man in the rcedes today. If he hadn’t made that public apology, he would have found no place for himself in Jinling, or even in all of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I wouldn’t have done anything to him, but Chang Yuanyi would have made his life a living hell. In short, it was a classic case of ’I did not kill Boren, but Boren died because of .’
"As for Chang Yuanyi, his grandfather is a retired high-ranking official from the Jinling Provincial Committee, and his father is the current top official in the city. He wields trendous power and capital in Jinling.
"All these people and their cars today... the order ca from , but he was the one who gathered them. I’m also aware that without my na, Qin Fan, this display would have been impossible. Right now, the Traffic Bureau, the Municipal Committee, the Provincial Departnt, and the Provincial Committee are all probably monitoring Jinling Avenue. But all they’ll do is watch. They won’t take any action, because this was initiated by . Because my na is Qin Fan."
Though she knew he hadn’t finished, Jiang Yino couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief. "Why?"
"It all goes back to before I started university. Rember the story I told you about the Qin Family and their abandoned son? I am that abandoned son," he explained. "I endured for over a decade before I finally toppled the Qin Family that had wronged so deeply. The power I unleashed when I finally broke my silence shook all of Lingnan. The Ye Family of Lingnan owes a debt of gratitude; Old Master Ye and his entire family have received my help, which is why they honor with the title ’Lord Qin.’
"Then there is Lai Zhuge, also known as Lai Shenxiang—the grandmaster of the southern school of geomancy and face reading. He also owes a great favor, so he follows my lead and respectfully calls ’Master Qin.’ Even people from certain governnt departnts have sought out, humbly asking to join their organization."
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