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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, Jiang Chen went to meet Li Yunye.
In the remote outskirts of Angel City, nestled among the mountains, stood a villa hidden within the trees. Knowing that Jiang Chen would be arriving today, Li Yunye had prepared early in the morning to welcome him.
Inside the villa, apart from Li Yunye, there were three others: an elderly man and two young people. The elderly man was of a similar age to Li Yunye. The young man was dressed in a suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses; he appeared to be around thirty years old, exuding an elegant and composed demeanor, with a handsome face. The young woman, approximately twenty-five or twenty-six, was clad in fitted attire, standing at about five feet seven inches tall. She seemed to be of mixed heritage, with deep-set eyes and striking beauty complemented by a curvaceous figure.
This elderly man was none other than Yan Qingsong, the leader of Hongmen. In Hongmen, the highest authority lay with Yan Qingsong and the first elder, Li Yunye. The young man was Yan Qingsong's grandson, Yan Nanxiang, while the young woman was Yan Nanxiang's fiancée, Liu Hanmei.
Yan Nanxiang was Yan Qingsong's most beloved grandson and also the most capable among his peers. Despite wearing glasses and having an elegant demeanor, he was not very talkative. His work style earned him Yan Qingsong's admiration, and the elder intended for him to succeed as the leader of Hongmen.
As for Liu Hanmei, she hailed from a prestigious family. Her great-grandfather had once been a martial arts champion during the old Huaxia dynasty but later settled in the United States. After a century of development, the Liu family had become a prominent clan in the United States.
Being from such a distinguished lineage, Liu Hanmei excelled from a young age with remarkable martial arts talent. As her grandfather would say, "My granddaughter has the potential to be a martial arts champion."
As Hongmen's successor, Yan Nanxiang was naturally being groomed to engage with various affairs of Hongmen. With Jiang Chen's visit imminent, it was only fitting for him to bring his grandson along. After all, Jiang Chen was Hongmen's largest creditor; over the past three years, they had already paid out three billion dollars. This had significantly impacted Hongmen—welfare benefits had sharply declined over these years, leading to discontent among its members. If this continued for another ten years, Hongmen could face collapse.
Of course, Hongmen could not cease compensation payments; no one doubted Jiang Chen's strength, even though they had never seen him in person. Li Yunye, as Hongmen's first elder, was undoubtedly powerful but could not match Jiang Chen. Thus, Jiang Chen's strength remained unfathomable. This time, Yan Qingsong came to discuss whether it might be possible to reduce or extend the compensation payments.
"Is that Mr. Jiang?" Upon seeing Jiang Chen arrive, Liu Hanmei couldn't help but whisper softly. There was no disdain in her tone—only curiosity about this seemingly unremarkable young man who possessed such formidable power.
Yan Nanxiang adjusted his glasses and scrutinized Jiang Chen with a deep gaze that held a hint of disbelief. Hongmen paid out one billion dollars annually as compensation to someone like him? Was he truly that powerful? Even if he were exceptional, surely not worth one hundred billion dollars.
"Please be mindful of your words when speaking to Mr. Jiang," Li Yunye quietly instructed.
"Cough cough, Brother Yunye," Yan Qingsong said with a hint of disbelief despite having mentally prepared himself for this meeting. "I find it hard to believe that Mr. Jiang is so young and truly possesses such strength as you described."
"He's more formidable than I mentioned," Li Yunye replied gravely.
Li Yunye had always harbored doubts about Jiang Chen's abilities; even after being defeated by him, he thought Jiang Chen was merely slightly stronger than himself—not beyond reach. However, after returning to Huaxia and meeting Master Zhang Zuo from Longhu Mountain, his perspective shifted dramatically.
From Zhang Zuo’s words, he gained new insight into Jiang Chen's capabilities—someone who could earn the respect of Huaxia’s foremost Taoist master deserved to be regarded as something beyond human.
Li Yunye recalled his lengthy conversation with Zhang Zuo and remembered the warning: do not treat Jiang Chen as an ordinary person but rather as a deity.
For the past few years, Li Yunye has been under immense pressure, compensating a billion dollars each year as agreed. After advising those around him, Li Yunye put on a sincere smile and stepped forward to greet him.
“Mr. Jiang, I should have come to visit you instead of troubling you to come here. I feel quite overwhelmed,” Li Yunye said respectfully.
As the first elder of Hongmen, it was rare for him to show such humility. Jiang Chen was the first person to receive this treatment from Li Yunye, which made Yan Nanxiang and the others, despite their dissatisfaction with Jiang Chen, refrain from expressing any discontent due to Li Yunye's demeanor.
“You have been quite perceptive over the past three years and have not disappointed me. As I mentioned before, after three years, you might encounter an opportunity that could help you break through your bottleneck. Today, I am here to present you with that opportunity,” Jiang Chen said with a faint smile.
Li Yunye was overjoyed and visibly excited. He had been worried that Jiang Chen might have forgotten about this matter and would not bring it up, but now Jiang Chen had mentioned it himself—this truly felt like a stroke of good fortune.
“Thank you, Mr. Jiang, for your support. Thank you so much!” Li Yunye said tearfully. At his level, the only thing that could excite him was a breakthrough in cultivation.
Seeing Li Yunye's excitement akin to that of a child receiving a toy, Yan Qingsong couldn't help but cough lightly, feeling somewhat overlooked as the leader of the sect.
Upon hearing Yan Qingsong's cough, Li Yunye snapped back to reality and suppressed his excitement before quickly introducing him.
“Mr. Jiang, it’s an honor to finally meet you. Our Hongmen offended you in the past; we were truly blind. As the leader, I take responsibility for not properly managing my subordinates and sincerely ask for your forgiveness,” Yan Qingsong said with a slight bow, his tone earnest in apology.
Not wanting to offend someone who approached him with goodwill, Yan Qingsong took the initiative to bring up past grievances and humbly admitted his mistakes to show his sincerity.
Jiang Chen glanced at Yan Qingsong and replied calmly, “What happened back then is in the past; there’s no need to dwell on it.”
“Mr. Jiang is magnanimous; I am truly grateful. Let’s not stand here any longer; let’s sit down and enjoy some tea while we chat,” Yan Qingsong said respectfully, lowering his posture since he had requests of Jiang Chen.
In the pavilion by the tea table, Yan Qingsong poured tea for Jiang Chen while complimenting him.
“Yan Men Master, I appreciate straightforwardness; feel free to speak your mind,” Jiang Chen said after taking a sip of tea.
Yan Qingsong felt slightly awkward but steadied himself and collected his thoughts before saying hesitantly, “Mr. Jiang’s insight is remarkable; my intentions cannot escape your keen eyes. Ahem, it’s like this: Mr. Jiang, our Hongmen has been paying you a billion dollars annually as compensation over these three years as promised—this shows our sincerity—but that amount is quite burdensome for us. I hope Mr. Jiang can consider reducing some of the compensation or extending our deadline.”
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