Chapter 66

Two days later, in a bustling small town at the foot of Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xijiang Province, Yang Chen took a small cloth bag from Zhang Bingyu. It was light, but Zhang Bingyu seemed very reluctant to part with it.

"Are you sure two taels of God-Dropping Ash are just enough?" Zhang Bingyu asked, reluctant. "Isn't it too much?"

"No, it's just right," Yang Chen replied, taking the God-Dropping Ash and gently tossing it in his hand with a smile. "I've calculated it carefully, there won't be any mistake!"

"Well... okay then." Zhang Bingyu bit her lip but couldn't help adding, "I had to go through a lot of trouble to steal these two taels of God-Dropping Ash from the Elder Hall..."

"So what?" Yang Chen looked at her with a slight smile, but was already thinking about how to store the extra tael of God-Dropping Ash.

"So, you at least have to compensate me with something, right? Yes, you have to compensate me!" Zhang Bingyu immediately perked up when she mentioned this. She looked at Yang Chen with bright eyes and said, "We should settle things clearly. The God-Dropping Ash didn't just fall from the sky. The Heavenly Master's Mansion has only accumulated less than ten kilograms over a thousand years, and you're taking it all. That's too cheap for you!"

"But I'm helping you..."

"The matter with the Qin family was settled when we left," Zhang Bingyu wouldn't be easily swayed by Yang Chen. "And before that, I had already helped you, so it's a wash... This soul of Gurhe is something you want to save on your own, it has nothing to do with me!"

"Alright..." Yang Chen smiled bitterly. "What do you want as compensation?"

"Well..." Zhang Bingyu was stumped. After much thought, she couldn't come up with anything. Finally, she huffed and said to Yang Chen, "I can't think of anything right now, but when I do, I'll come find you in Nanhu Province!"

With that, Zhang Bingyu quickly disappeared into the crowd...

...

After more than two days of careful preparation, Hou Xunan finally compiled his years of research into a book and carefully placed it in an old travel bag.

Straightening up, he looked around the Jing'an Temple, where he had spent over a decade with his instruments and equipment. Leaning against a pillar, he took a deep breath... Was it time to leave?

He lingered over the room full of things until the taxi driver at the foot of the mountain couldn't wait any longer and came up to call him. Only then did he lock the temple door with a chain.

Carrying the travel bag, Hou Xunan set out on a future that was still uncertain...

Meanwhile, Yang Chen had already returned to Jinzhou City in Nanhu Province from Dragon Tiger Mountain in Xijiang Province. Tang Yino, who had returned two days earlier, gave a brief report and hesitated, saying, "Someone came looking for you last night..."

"Who?"

"Xu Wenda," Tang Yino said, holding two books. "He brought the share contract for Drunken Night Bar..."

"You didn't take it, right?" Yang Chen narrowed his eyes.

Tang Yino nodded. "I didn't dare to when I called you and you didn't answer... But Xu Wenda was very sincere, saying he had realized his mistake and hoped you would give him another chance to correct it..."

"Let him wait," Yang Chen thought of the beating he had received that night and smiled coldly. "He's starting to get scared... I thought all these years had made him bolder! Ignore him for now, it's still early."

Tang Yino silently mourned for Xu Wenda for three seconds before continuing, "President Jin has been very busy these past two days and wants me to work with her for a while..."

"Sure," Yang Chen nodded without hesitation. "The busiest period is over, and I was wondering what to do with you next... You can learn a lot from my mother, so work hard."

"Yes!" Tang Yino felt relieved and smiled. "I will work hard! I won't let you down!"

Yang Chen nodded and, after checking the time, said, "Before you change positions, can you do one more thing for me?"

"What is it?"

"Book a private room at Jinhu Hotel for 8:30 PM tonight." Yang Chen stood up from the sofa, stretching. "I have a guest to entertain, a very important one."

"Okay..."

...

When Hou Xunan appeared at Jinzhou City train station with his old travel bag, Yang Chen had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing the weary Hou Xunan, Yang Chen felt as if a gold mine was flying towards him. He hurriedly went up to take the travel bag from Hou Xunan and said with a smile, "Let me carry it."

"No, no... I can do it myself." Hou Xunan, who had been isolated in Jing'an Temple for over a decade, had never received such treatment. Yang Chen's enthusiasm made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

But in the end, Yang Chen took the travel bag from him and, as they walked to the car, asked, "Did you settle everything at home before coming so hastily?"

Mentioning this, Hou Xunan's face finally showed a smile. He nodded and replied, "Yes, I settled everything. With one million in cash, a lot can be done..."

"Did you reconcile with your ex-wife?" Yang Chen was actually more concerned about this.

"The procedures are done, and she has moved back in," Hou Xunan nodded, feeling deeply grateful to Yang Chen!

Seeing the top authority who would shine at the global summit now standing shyly before him like a child, Yang Chen found it amusing and chuckled.

It wasn't clear if someone had misunderstood or was deliberately causing trouble.

In any case, after Yang Chen's two light laughs, a few young men walking towards them stopped. One of them, a bald young man with a cigarette in his mouth, cursed, "Laughing at your mother's cunt..."

"Huh?" Yang Chen, who was focused on Hou Xunan, subconsciously looked up at these strangers, frowned, and asked, "What kind of talk is that?"

"Hey, you dare to talk back?!" The bald young man sized up Yang Chen and sneered, "Grandpa cursing you a bit is a sign of respect. If you don't want a beating, get lost!"

There were five young men, all around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

Hou Xunan, fearing that Yang Chen might be at a disadvantage, forced a smile and stepped forward to mediate, "It's just a misunderstanding..."

"Who are you?" The bald young man glared at him disdainfully and pointed at his nose, cursing, "You're from out of town, right? Do you have a say here? Acting all high and mighty, don't think I won't hit you just because you're older!"

"..." Yang Chen began to suspect he had forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home. It wasn't until his gaze inadvertently fell on a white Maserati parked outside the station square that he understood the situation.

"Did Song Shijie send you?" Yang Chen put down Hou Xunan's travel bag and looked at the young men, who were clearly there to cause trouble, with a calm expression. "Slap yourselves ten times, and I might consider letting you go."

Although being exposed by Yang Chen surprised the young men, they wouldn't be in the game if a few words could scare them off!

The bald young man grunted and, without a word, signaled his companions to start.

...

Song Shijie was sitting in his Maserati, his eyes fixed on the station square and Yang Chen.

A smirk played on his lips as he said to the young men in the back seat, "Watch closely! I can beat Yang Chen even when his parents aren't around, and I can still beat him even if they are!"

The young men in the car burst into laughter and started flattering him.

Recently, the ambiguous relationship between Hengyang Group and Yuanbang Pharmaceutical had made Song Shijie's father, Song Peng'an, very unhappy.

As a result, Song Shijie had also become a fish in troubled waters, receiving no shortage of scoldings from Song Peng'an.

In the afternoon, while out with some friends and a few girls from the provincial art troupe, the topic of the bankrupt Hengyang Group came up, leading to a discussion about Yang Chen.

When Hengyang Group was at its peak, Yang Chen had openly poached a woman from Song Shijie, even though she was just a peripheral figure, it still damaged Song Shijie's reputation.

Mentioning this in front of his female companions, Song Shijie was immediately enraged.

With some friends fanning the flames, his anger could no longer be contained.

Song Shijie made a bet with his friends, saying he would make Yang Chen suffer by midnight, at least breaking two of his ribs! If he failed, he would lose the Maserati, but if he succeeded, he would win a Ferrari!

In Song Shijie's view, how could he possibly lose?

"Yang Chen is a waste, with or without his parents," Song Shijie sneered from the car. "A typical wimp!"

A young man in the back seat said, "Hengyang Group has been making moves recently, showing signs of revival... Honestly, I don't think tonight's plan will work..."

"What? Afraid before you even start?" Song Shijie's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he turned to the young man and cursed, "If you're scared, get out now, but don't say I won't play with you anymore!"

"Don't... I was just saying..." The young man laughed awkwardly, neither getting out nor voicing his opinion again.

"Look, they're starting!" A young woman in heavy makeup, sitting by the window in the back seat, perked up.

At the station square, the fight had already begun!