15: The old man in the ring? New leeks have appeared

In a blink of an eye, a week passed.

Below the Long Group headquarters building, that figure sitting silently in the wind and rain had become an open secret and topic of conversation in Yanjing's upper circles.

Su Mucheng, this stunning CEO who once dominated Jiangnan City and was revered as a goddess by countless men, now resembled the most devout ascetic, neither eating nor drinking, neither speaking nor moving, enduring sun and rain, waiting quietly in that empty square for a faint pardon from above the clouds.

Her pride, her dignity, her everything, had been thoroughly ground down during these seven days and seven nights of torment.

Inside Dragon Perch Residence, Lin Tian calmly watched the emaciated and weak figure on the surveillance screen through the massive floor-to-ceiling window. He knew, the time was right...

"Ling'er."

"Young Lord, what are your commands?" Long Ling'er immediately stepped forward, bowing her head respectfully.

Lin Tian flipped his wrist, and a data chip shimmering with a faint blue light appeared in his palm.

"This is the 'Su Group Reorganization and Future Development Plan' I drafted overnight, along with an investment contract that includes terms designed to win over hearts."

He handed the chip to Long Ling'er, his tone calm, yet containing an undeniable will.

"Go see her now, represent me fully, and talk to her."

"Remember, what I want is not just the controlling stake of Su Group, but her as a person, from body to mind, complete and utter... submission."

"Ling'er understands!" Long Ling'er took the chip, and a hint of admiration and understanding flashed in her clear Phoenix eyes.

The Young Lord's methods were never simple commercial takeovers; he aimed to bring all unstable factors completely under his control... Long Ling'er took her exclusive internal anti-gravity vehicle to the group headquarters.

Escorting her was a Martial Ancestor Rank expert specially assigned by the Family, and an elder of her lineage, Granny Hua.

Watching her Young Miss, now completely centered around Lin Tian's will, busying herself with these "mundane matters" that seemed tedious and boring to Granny Hua, Granny Hua couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache and confusion.

"Young Miss," she finally couldn't resist speaking, "you are a favored daughter of heaven with S-rank Talent, your future prospects are limitless. Why... why humble yourself like this, handling these commercial trivialities for the Divine Son? Your time should be spent on Cultivation."

Long Ling'er paused her perusal of the documents upon hearing this. She looked up at Granny Hua, and an unprecedented, almost faith-like reverence shone on her cold, pretty face.

She corrected, "Granny Hua, you are wrong. These are not mundane matters, nor is it humbling myself."

"You cannot imagine the heights of greatness the Young Lord's future achievements will reach."

"To personally lay the first cornerstone for him at the inception of his magnificent, star-sea-like commercial Empire—this is my... supreme honor in life!"

Granny Hua sighed inwardly upon hearing this and said no more.

Naturally, she couldn't know that Long Ling'er had once glimpsed a corner of a future where that Divine Son suppressed all ages and ruled the star sea.

To be a chief assistant handling miscellaneous tasks for the future Lord of the Star Sea... it seems... really not bad at all... Just as Long Ling'er was heading to execute the "takeover plan."

A thousand miles away in Jiangnan City, inside an Advanced Martial Arts Academy with ancient decor and a strong Martial Dao atmosphere.

"Hmph!"

With a fierce roar, a young man with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a tall, upright figure, slammed his fist heavily onto the force-measuring pile made of special alloy in front of him!

Bang!

The force-measuring pile vibrated violently, and the crimson numbers above it jumped wildly, finally settling on an astonishing value—[15000KG]!

"Good! Ye Fan, your progress speed truly astonishes even your Master!" Beside him, a middle-aged man in a white Cultivation uniform with a calm demeanor applauded in admiration.

He was the owner of this "Qingtian Martial Arts Academy," and one of Jiangnan City's few Martial Dao Grandmasters, Lu Qingtian.

And the young man he called Ye Fan was Su Mucheng's fiancé, who came from an ordinary background but, relying on his exceptional Talent and unremitting efforts, had made a formidable name for himself among the younger generation in Jiangnan City.

Ye Fan withdrew his fist, but there was no joy on his face; instead, it was filled with anxiety and anger.

Just now, he had received a call from a friend, learning that his beloved fiancée, Su Mucheng, was sitting in the rain downstairs at the Long Group building in Yanjing, suspected of being humiliated!

This news, like a bolt from the blue, filled him with raging fury and burning impatience!

"Master!" Ye Fan suddenly turned, kneeling before Lu Qingtian, pleading in a hoarse voice, "Mu Cheng... she's in trouble! Please use your connections in Yanjing to help her! Disciple... Disciple is kowtowing to you!"

Lu Qingtian's expression changed upon hearing this, and he quickly helped him up: "What happened? Speak slowly!"

After listening to Ye Fan's disjointed account, especially upon hearing the words "Long Family" and "number zero heir," Lu Qingtian's originally calm face instantly turned pale, his eyes filled with deep fear and apprehension.

"Nonsense!" He sharply stopped Ye Fan, "Are you crazy?! That's the Long Family! It's a colossal entity standing at the pinnacle of our Huaxia, like a pillar supporting the heavens! Its newly appointed 'number zero heir' is even more of a Dragon-like figure, personally bestowed by the Third Ancestor, who shattered the 'gaia record' with a single punch! You want me to provoke him? Are you trying to get our entire Qingtian Martial Arts Academy completely wiped off the map of Jiangnan City overnight?!"

Ye Fan was stunned by his Master's unprecedented stern attitude.

He couldn't believe that his Master, who usually feared nothing and was full of heroic spirit, would be so terrified just by hearing the words "Long Family."

"But... but Mu Cheng, she..."

"Enough!" Lu Qingtian interrupted him, his tone brooking no argument, "This matter ends here! I warn you, Ye Fan, if you still acknowledge me as your Master, immediately abandon your unrealistic notions! The Long Family is not someone we can afford to provoke! If you dare to go to Yanjing, you are seeking your own death!"

With that, he flicked his sleeves and left, leaving Ye Fan alone, kneeling in a daze.

A long time passed.

Ye Fan slowly rose from the ground, and in his once clear eyes, a blazing, unyielding flame now burned.

He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, causing excruciating pain, yet it was far less than the humiliation and anger in his heart at this moment.

"Long Family... number zero heir..."

He gritted his teeth, muttering the name, and an silent roar erupted within him.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a young man for being poor!"

He turned abruptly and left the Martial Arts Academy.

He knew that from this moment on, he could only rely on himself.

Walking on the deserted street, a powerful confidence, completely at odds with his current predicament, slowly appeared on Ye Fan's face.

He raised his right hand and gently stroked an ancient, inconspicuous bronze ring on his index finger.

It was at this moment that an old voice, full of vicissitudes and wisdom, which only he could hear, slowly echoed in his mind.

"Disciple, do not panic."

"It's merely a worldly Family relying on its background to throw its weight around."

"With your Master here, within ten years, you can... destroy it with a flick of your hand!"

"Yes, Master!" Ye Fan respectfully responded in his heart, and the flame of hope rekindled in his eyes.

This ring was the only relic left by his parents.

And three years ago, a remnant soul of an ancient Martial God, who called himself the "Medicine Saint," suddenly awakened in the ring, taking him as a Disciple, secretly guiding his Cultivation, and teaching him long-lost ancient Cultivation Techniques and Alchemy.

This was Ye Fan's true trump card!

"What if he is the Divine Son of the Long Family? In front of my Master, he is nothing but an ant!"

"Just wait, Su Mucheng is my woman! I will soon... go to Yanjing, bring her back, and return all the humiliation you inflicted upon her a hundredfold!"

Ye Fan's expression was stern, carrying a mysterious confidence derived from his Golden Finger, as he looked towards Yanjing.

He didn't know that the "power-abusing" scion in his eyes was currently looking at a file about him with interest, a playful curve on his lips.

"An old man in a ring? Interesting..."

"It seems a fresh, thriving leek (metaphor for harvestable resource/easy target) has delivered itself to my doorstep."