Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Zhang Family Banquet

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“Is it alive?”

The tall beauty’s eyes twitched slightly as she smiled lightly and said, “Sir, plants are naturally alive; they have life. So that joke isn’t funny.”

The man, seeing that she didn’t understand his meaning, grew a bit anxious and said, “No, the ‘alive’ I’m talking about isn’t what you mean. This ginseng—it actually moves on its own.”

“Moves on its own?”

The tall beauty didn’t believe the man’s nonsense. Her pretty face grew colder, and she was about to shoo him away.

If someone genuinely came to trade medicinal herbs, Jishi Hall would naturally welcome them. But if they came just to cause trouble, they wouldn’t be polite.

“Sir, please—”

Before the tall beauty could finish, Lin Yi interrupted and asked, “Is what you just said true?”

The man didn’t answer but stared warily at Lin Yi.

The tall beauty smiled sweetly and said, “Mr. Lin, there’s no such thing as a running ginseng. He’s just joking; don’t take it seriously.”

“I’m telling the truth,” the man insisted again.

A flash of annoyance crossed the tall beauty’s eyes.

Lin Yi waved his hand and said, “I believe you. Could you show me that ginseng root you have?”

The man hesitated.

The tall beauty reminded him, “Mr. Lin is a distinguished guest at Jishi Hall. Even our manager treats him with utmost respect. If he likes your root, you won’t be at a loss.”

Hearing this, the man finally handed the root to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi took a look. It was just a single root, but its medicinal properties far surpassed those of a century-old red ginseng.

“I’ve seen some ginseng that moves, but unfortunately, this root is too little to identify right now,” Lin Yi thought, feeling a spark of excitement.

He asked, “If I buy this root, how much do you want?”

“Ten... ten thousand?” the man asked cautiously.

The tall beauty sneered coldly, “Sir, this is just an ordinary root. Isn’t your asking price a bit too high?”

Though it wasn’t her business, the manager had instructed that as long as Mr. Lin came, they must treat him with the best attitude.

This shabby man asking for ten thousand was clearly trying to take advantage of Lin Yi.

The man didn’t speak, his neck turning red as he lowered his head in silence. Obviously, he knew his price was too steep.

Lin Yi, however, didn’t care about the money and immediately agreed, “Alright, ten thousand is fine, but you have to tell me where this ginseng is.”

The man shook his head, hands in his pockets. “Impossible.”

He naturally wouldn’t reveal the location of such a treasure.

The tall beauty grew anxious. “Mr. Lin, you really believe him?”

“Mm,” Lin Yi smiled faintly.

“But this is impossible. I’ve never heard of a running ginseng in my life. This isn’t a movie,” the tall beauty said.

Lin Yi’s gaze deepened. “Some things you don’t know simply because you haven’t reached that level. Well, you go on, I’ll talk with him alone.”

“Alright,” the tall beauty said somewhat resentfully.

She wanted to chat more with Lin Yi. If she could get close to this wealthy man, she’d never worry about food or clothing again.

After the tall beauty left, Lin Yi said, “If you can catch that ginseng, I’ll give you ten million.”

The man’s eyes lit up instantly. Ten million—he had only seen that on TV.

“Are you serious?” he looked at Lin Yi doubtfully, seeking confirmation.

“Of course I am. See these herbs I have? They’re worth over two million. Do you think I’d lie to you?” Lin Yi smiled.

The man thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously. “Alright, boss. My name’s Gu Chuan; I’m an outdoor adventurer. I don’t know your name yet.”

“Lin Yi.”

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“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lin,” Gu Chuan’s attitude improved noticeably.

They exchanged phone numbers, and Lin Yi left with the herbs and the ginseng root.

The next day.

Lin Yi wore casual clothes and headed toward the Zhang family estate.

Though not fast, each of his strides spanned three or four meters.

Unconsciously, ten minutes later, he arrived at the Zhang family gate.

The place was already packed, luxury cars clustered together—it was no wonder. It was the Zhang family patriarch’s grand birthday celebration; the atmosphere was lively.

At the gate stood four security guards in suits, each with innate strength at the ninth level, just one step from becoming a half-step Grandmaster.

Lin Yi strode toward the estate, but before entering, two figures suddenly appeared beside him.

They were Deng Mengqi and Pei Wanting, whom he had met on the plane yesterday.

Both wore elegant dresses, glamorous and striking.

Alongside them was an elderly woman in a black robe, whose strength was at the eighth innate level—not bad.

“Lin Yi, what are you doing here?” Deng Mengqi asked happily.

Pei Wanting greeted, “Hello.”

Lin Yi replied, “I’m here for the birthday banquet.”

“Aren’t you wearing formal clothes?” Deng Mengqi asked in surprise.

Everyone attending the banquet, from family members to security and servants, wore formal attire.

Lin Yi, however, came dressed casually, which was disrespectful to the host.

“No need. Too much trouble,” Lin Yi shook his head.

Deng Mengqi was speechless; that excuse was quite strong.

Pei Wanting asked, “Lin Yi, do you have an invitation? They require one to enter here.”

“No,” Lin Yi answered honestly.

Since he had contacted Zhang Xinyi by phone, he naturally had no invitation, but it didn’t matter; the guards all knew him.

“This birthday banquet is highly important to the Zhang family. Even disciples from the top ten families need invitations to enter,” Pei Wanting said.

From his lack of an invitation, she guessed Lin Yi might have come just to see the excitement.

“Hmm, I was invited by the old Zhang himself,” Lin Yi said calmly.

“Hah,” Pei Wanting sneered inwardly.

Everyone knew the Zhang family was the foremost clan in Shan Province with considerable influence and a powerful backer.

Claiming the old Zhang invited him was a bold lie.

Deng Mengqi didn’t fully believe Lin Yi either, but since they knew him, she tugged Pei Wanting’s arm and said, “Wanting, ask Grandma if Lin Yi can come with us.”

Pei Wanting hesitated but reluctantly said to the elderly woman, “Great-Grandma Gao, he’s my friend. Can he come in with us?”

One invitation could bring three people.

Great-Grandma Gao glanced at Pei Wanting peculiarly, then nodded, “Alright. Since he’s your friend, let him come and broaden his horizons. But tell him not to wander around; this banquet isn’t ordinary.”

“Understood,” Pei Wanting replied.

She then looked back at Lin Yi, “Did you hear that? Follow me and Mengqi inside.”

Lin Yi said nothing, which made Pei Wanting stomp her foot in frustration.

The four entered the Zhang family courtyard. Great-Grandma Gao said, “You young ones can look around on your own.”

“Okay,” Pei Wanting nodded.

The three went to a corner by the buffet. Lin Yi picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.

“By the way, Lin Yi, has Tao Chengye retaliated against you?” Deng Mengqi asked with concern.

“No,” Lin Yi replied.

“Don’t let your guard down. Tao Chengye suffered a big loss and will definitely gather reinforcements. No matter how strong you are alone, you’ll get tired eventually,” Deng Mengqi warned kindly.

“Mm,” Lin Yi nodded but didn’t care at all.

Not far away, a few rich young masters were chatting and laughing.

A long-haired man pointed at Deng Mengqi and Pei Wanting and said, “Yu, look at those two girls—damn fine.”

Mu Haoyu glanced over, eyes narrowing slightly, licking his lips, “Not bad.”

“Yu, those two seem unfamiliar. Probably not from our circle; likely brought here just to look around,” the long-haired man said.

Mu Haoyu smiled wryly, shaking his wine glass, “I’ll go say hi. If I can hook up with them, we’ll each take one.”

“Heh heh, with your status and looks, Yu, how could any girl refuse you? I’m going for the cold one,” the long-haired man grinned lecherously.

“We’ll see,” Mu Haoyu said, then walked over with his glass.

“Hello, beautiful ladies, I’m Mu Haoyu,” he introduced himself with great courtesy.

Deng Mengqi blushed slightly and quickly introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Deng Mengqi.”

“Deng Mengqi—a lovely name,” Mu Haoyu smiled, a smile that made Deng Mengqi a bit enchanted.

Pei Wanting frowned slightly and asked, “Are you Mu Haoyu of the Mu family, one of the top ten clans?”

“That’s right,” Mu Haoyu said, flashing a set of white teeth.

Pei Wanting inhaled sharply. No wonder this was a top-tier family banquet—she immediately encountered a scion of a great family.

Also, the Martial Arts Association forum had introductions about Mu Haoyu.

Though he was the second in line to inherit the Mu family, his talent was high. At only twenty-three, his strength reached the eighth innate level, nearly matching Great-Grandma Gao.

However, the great families’ martial arts and magical artifacts were several times stronger than those of smaller clans. In a one-on-one fight, it was likely that Great-Grandma Gao would lose in less than three moves.

“Hello, I’m Pei Wanting,” she said, a bit excited.

“Hello,” Mu Haoyu shook Pei Wanting’s hand gently before letting go, showing great gentlemanly manners.

This left the two women with a better impression of him.

“By the way, who is this...?” Mu Haoyu then noticed Lin Yi and asked.

“He’s my friend, Lin Yi,” Deng Mengqi said with a bright smile, dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth.

“Oh.”

Mu Haoyu immediately lost interest, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.

To dress casually at such a formal occasion was clearly sneaking in with others.

If not for the two beautiful women, he wouldn’t even bother to glance at Lin Yi—a disgrace.

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