Early the next morning, Ji Chongwei arrived at Ji Yaoguang's villa with dark circles under his eyes. From his appearance, he clearly hadn't slept well all night.
Ji Yaoguang froze for a moment when she saw him and asked in surprise, "Dad, what were you doing last night?"
Ji Chongwei gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. "It's a long story. Yaoguang, now isn't the time to talk about that. Come out with me. We'll visit the Song Family first."
"All right." Ji Yaoguang agreed without thinking much of it. She simply assumed her father had reached an agreement with the Song Family and might have lost sleep finalizing the contract details last night, and that they were going to settle the matter now.
Lin Fei was leafing through a copy of the Yellow Court Classic nearby. Without lifting his head, he asked, "Do you want me to come along?"
After a moment's consideration, Ji Chongwei politely declined. "I won't trouble you to make the trip, young friend. Yaoguang and I are only going to discuss some business."
He had a delicate consideration here. After all, Lin Fei had thoroughly humiliated the proud and arrogant Song Hao in front of everyone yesterday. If Song Hao saw him again, he would probably make things difficult for them, making the matter even harder to resolve.
As for making a godlike figure such as Lin Fei bow down and apologize to the Song Family, Ji Chongwei didn't even dare entertain the thought. The best decision, therefore, was not to bring Lin Fei along.
Lin Fei gave a mild "Mm" and paid it little mind. After all, the members of the Ji Family were wearing protective talismans from him, so their safety shouldn't be an issue.
This time, Ji Chongwei brought no one else, leaving Wu Moling and Lin Fei in the villa as he and Ji Yaoguang hurried out. Ji Yaoguang even took the driver's seat and drove herself.
After they had driven some distance, Ji Chongwei let out a heavy sigh, unable to hide the exhaustion and worry on his face.
Ji Yaoguang finally noticed something was wrong and asked what had happened.
In a somber voice, Ji Chongwei recounted the events of the previous day.
"Outrageous!" Ji Yaoguang's delicate, lovely face was filled with anger. "Without all the support and help our Ji Family has given them over the years, would the Song Family enjoy the success they have today? We kept our families' friendship in mind and always laid our hearts bare to them. I never thought the Song Family would be such scum!"
Utterly helpless, Ji Chongwei sighed. "A wolf of Zhongshan-once it gets its way, it runs wild..."
Had circumstances not changed, leaving the Ji Family in need of the Song Family's help, Ji Chongwei might never have seen what ungrateful wolves they were. Back during the financial crisis, the Ji Family had nearly put their entire corporate group's lifeline on the line to help them weather their difficulties.
You treated him as your own brother; he treated you as a fool ripe for exploitation.
"Human ties are thinner than paper" was hardly an obscure saying.
"Dad, you're not... really going to make me marry that Song Hao, are you?" Ji Yaoguang bit her red lip with her pearly teeth, her resistance beyond words.
Ji Chongwei shook his head and said gravely, "It hasn't come to that. I'm going to see them this time to have a proper discussion about this. I think the Song Family simply wants to squeeze out more profit. As long as we give in and take the loss, they should agree."
Ji Yaoguang's heart jolted, and she asked tentatively, "Dad, what's the most extra money you're willing to pay?"
Ji Chongwei gave a bleak smile and said desolately, "One billion."
"Screeech-"
Ji Yaoguang slammed on the brakes, and the tires scraped against the road with an ear-piercing screech.
Without their seat belts holding them in place, both of them would have hit their heads against the car.
"Dad?!" Ji Yaoguang looked at him in shock.
The chips were already extremely expensive, and with the enormous quantity involved, the purchase alone would severely strain the Ji Family's resources. Paying another billion would practically drain every bit of money the Ji Family had available!
"Yaoguang, you're still young. You don't understand how treacherous people can be." Ji Chongwei closed his eyes helplessly, his voice growing weary as well. "The Song Family has dragged things out until now without signing a contract because they want to extort a hefty sum from us. That little conflict between you and Song Hao is just a pretext. Without a juicy slab of meat like this, we won't fill the bellies of that den of wild wolves."
Ji Yaoguang gave a self-mocking smile and fell silent.
The Ji Family had no choice but to bow their heads, because they had signed contracts with far too many partner companies. If they couldn't deliver high-quality products using the new chips on schedule, the combined penalties for breach of contract would be enough to crush even the mountain that was the Ji Family completely...
The Song Family had plotted for a long time, pitting calculation against the unsuspecting, and had successfully dealt their so-called "family friends" a crushing blow!
Ji Yaoguang asked hoarsely, "Dad, what if even that doesn't satisfy the Song Family?"
Ji Chongwei's eyelid twitched. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.
An oppressive silence settled over the car.
Inside Ji Yaoguang's villa.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Lin Fei stood on the balcony, looking at the scenery in the courtyard.
Wu Moling was training hard in the courtyard, the whistles of her punches and kicks cutting through the air ringing out incessantly.
"Crack!"
With a tremendous bang, Wu Moling smashed a rock to pieces. Fragments shot through the air, scattering in every direction. One piece even embedded itself deep in a tree.
Yet Lin Fei frowned slightly at the sight, having already seen that Wu Moling's cultivation was merely at early body refinement, practically on par with that trash Song Hao.
No wonder a mere group of assassins had been able to chase her into a panicked flight!
Wu Moling was using breathing exercises to practice Body Refining when she suddenly heard a calm voice behind her. "In recognition of your grandfather's service in protecting Yaoguang, I'll lend you a hand for now."
Wu Moling turned around, overwhelmed with surprise and delight, and saw Lin Fei extend a finger, sending out a ray of spiritual light.
The ray of spiritual light sank straight into the space between her brows. In an instant, a complete cultivation art appeared in her mind.
"Spirit Mountain Immortal Art."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Wu Moling grew so excited that tears fell from her eyes.
The supreme cultivation art jointly created by the Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain, the most suitable art for the Shaman Clan's lineage to cultivate!
It had been lost for thousands of years. Now that Wu Moling had recovered the inheritance of the Shaman Clan's lineage, how could she not weep with joy?
"Thank you for your gift, Master!" Wu Moling prostrated herself, kneeling without the slightest hesitation.
"Rise." Lin Fei turned and walked away, leaving Wu Moling with only the sight of his back. "You've already laid a solid foundation. Cultivate according to this art, and you'll break through to middle body refinement within four hours."
Wu Moling gritted her teeth and said earnestly, "I won't disappoint you, Master!"
Lin Fei paid Wu Moling no further attention, leaving her to immerse herself in cultivation.
Sure enough, a little over two hours later, Wu Moling successfully broke through to middle body refinement.
In that instant, Wu Moling threw a punch, and a flood dragon formed from white mist actually coiled around it with astonishing force.
The wind from her punch even swept up the fallen leaves throughout the courtyard, sending them fluttering in all directions.
Far in the distance, an effeminate man wearing a hooded cloak lowered his high-powered binoculars, looking thoughtful.
"So this is the expert who wiped out two groups of assassins? She really is no ordinary character."
Nightmare lightly twirled the ends of his hair, then licked his dry lips and smiled.
Now this is what makes it interesting.