A high-speed business car sped along. In the back seat, Li Yurou animatedly described Lin Fan's eyes, gesturing to her own.
"Is it really as magical as you say? I greeted him, and didn't notice any of those things you mentioned?"
Li Yusheng turned to look at his sister, his tone tinged with a hint of bitterness.
From childhood, he and his sister had relied on each other and shared a deep bond. Hearing his sister praise Lin Fan incessantly naturally made him feel a bit dejected. Although they were twins, heaven had only favored his sister. He, on the other hand, was just an ordinary, unremarkable person.
Seeing her brother disbelieve her, Li Yurou anxiously insisted, "It's true! Master's collected 'Yi Zhi Lu' seems to have recorded such an unusual phenomenon, and also..."
"Alright." Li Yusheng interrupted, "Uncle Zhou traveled a long distance to get here. It's not polite for you to keep chattering about all this nonsense."
"It's alright." A middle-aged man sitting next to Li Yurou chuckled, "Yurou is lively and cute. Listening to her speak is like listening to a song."
"You meanie brother, really." Li Yurou pouted, causing the middle-aged man to burst into laughter.
Li Yusheng shook his head helplessly and turned his gaze forward.
The day unfolded with a constant stream of people from the northern and southern factions arriving to watch the competition. Zhong Chen and An Hai were swamped, working separately to receive their respective groups. Meanwhile, Lin Fan, as the representative of the northern faction, lounged comfortably in a presidential suite, resting.
"Ever slept in a bed that costs twenty-one thousand a night?" Lin Fan snapped numerous photos and sent them to Song Yue.
Song Yue replied with an eye-roll emoji: "Xiao Fan, I saw the news on TV about hotels having those little cards slipped under the doors. If anyone slips one under your door, you absolutely cannot look at it, or I'll tell your sister-in-law."
Lin Fan felt a pang of frustration. He had finally managed to get out, and it felt as if he were being accused of planning something illicit. "Do I have nothing better to do? Oh, right, you mentioned you were swollen last time. Has it gone down now?"
"What do you want?"
"What do you think I want?"
"Xiao Fan, your sister-in-law seems to have noticed something." Song Yue typed slowly, "Your sister-in-law's attitude towards me has become much cooler. Although I can't always tell, I can feel it."
Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Don't overthink it. Besides, she'll find out sooner or later. Don't worry, I'm here."
"What am I supposed to not worry about? Xiao Fan, what if your sister-in-law doesn't approve of us?"
"This..." Lin Fan scratched his head, suddenly finding the Simmons mattress beneath him uncomfortable. "What else can we do? My sister-in-law has always been soft-hearted. Once you have a child for me, will she have the heart to abandon the child?"
"You... Forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore. Go sleep in your twenty-thousand-yuan bed." Song Yue finished and went offline.
"Sigh~" Lin Fan tossed his phone aside. "My sister-in-law shouldn't be that petty, right?" He pondered over and over how he would beg for leniency from his sister-in-law in the future, but couldn't come up with a satisfactory plan. "Sleep, sleep. It cost over twenty thousand, it shouldn't be a waste."
...
The next day at noon.
Lin Fan slept until the sun was high in the sky, only to be woken by Zhong Chen and the others. Guided by a server, they arrived at a conference room on the sixth floor. Numerous Feng Shui masters, with their ethereal demeanors and extraordinary presence, stared intently at Lin Fan.
"President, is he the one you mentioned..." someone began to question, but trailed off and swallowed their words.
Zhong Chen walked over with a smile and stood with Lin Fan opposite the assembled group. "Everyone, allow me to introduce Lin Fan, Master Lin, who will be representing our Northern Feng Shui community in this competition!"
"Uh, hello, uncles and elder uncles." Lin Fan smiled and cupped his hands, unsure how to address them.
The person who had questioned him earlier froze. This wasn't right! Shouldn't he be called 'senior'?
"Lin Fan, is it? May I know your lineage and who your master is?"
"I... I have no sect or school. I'm self-taught, and I don't have a master." Lin Fan replied truthfully.
"Ah?"
"What?"
"No lineage!"
"How can this be?"
The conference room buzzed instantly. Everyone's gaze flickered between Lin Fan and Zhong Chen, completely bewildered by their intentions. If Zhong Chen believed they were destined to lose, wouldn't it be better to concede defeat directly? Why find some ignorant youngster? Wasn't this just making a mockery of the Li Qi Sect?
Zhong Chen raised his hand, and after they quieted down, he said unhurriedly, "Everyone, although Lin Fan is reluctant to reveal his background, Vice President An and I have personally witnessed his skills."
An Hai chimed in, "Yuan Fei of Jinmen previously competed with Lin Fan. I won't say anything else, but when it comes to Feng Shui, his skills are truly formidable!"
"Oh? So he won?" someone asked, surprised. Although Song Tian often boasted about his disciple, much to their annoyance, they had to admit Yuan Fei did possess some talent. If Lin Fan had defeated him, he must have genuine abilities.
"Yes." An Hai nodded emphatically. "He won with ease."
"Hoh!"
"Remarkable!"
"He actually defeated Yuan Fei! Then he's no ordinary person!"
"So, he was just deceiving us when he said he had no lineage!"
The crowd began to murmur, speculating about Lin Fan's origins. The ancient saying goes, "Three years to seek a dragon, ten years to point a acupoint." This meant it took at least three years to learn to identify vital energy and locate thriving dragon veins in mountains and rivers, and that was with a master's careful guidance. Finding the convergence of vital energy, the dragon acupoint, within the dragon vein required a decade of dedicated practice! This young man, capable of defeating Yuan Fei, who had been trained by Song Tian for over a decade, must have an extraordinary background!
Lin Fan's expression was peculiar as he faced their conjectures. No matter what he said now, they likely wouldn't believe him. Honestly! Why insist on attributing a master to him? Did he really have to say his master was the Nine Heavens Profound Lady?
Seeing that everyone was convinced, Zhong Chen said, "It's getting late. Let's go meet with the people from the Li Qi Sect and discuss the arrangements."
"Alright!"
"Let's go!"
"Hmph, this time we'll show them!"
"Exactly! Those big fools, always going on about their 'orthodox' ways and calling us 'unconventional.' I want to see just how 'orthodox' they really are!" A relatively young middle-aged man, agitated, let slip a curse. The mention of the Li Qi Sect united them in a common cause, their morale soaring as if they were soldiers heading into battle.
Lin Fan walked at the front, and led by Zhong Chen, they boarded an electric bus, heading towards an unknown destination.