"I will be there in three days," Ling Fan said.
How could he not understand Master Wang's intentions? Master Wang wanted him to come and lend some support, as Zheng Bieli was making a formidable appearance. If Master Wang was cornered this time, he would surely have a very difficult time under Zheng Bieli's command in the future.
Master Wang said with surprise, "Then thank you, Master Ling! Three days from now, I will await your esteemed presence at Tianxiang Tower."
Tianxiang Tower was the most renowned restaurant in Jiangnan City.
All top-tier banquets, auctions, and assemblies were held here.
Soon, the news that the new Five City Patrol Envoy, Master Zheng Bieli, was about to inspect Jiangnan City, spread throughout all the large and small families in Jiangnan City.
The Jin family, which had hastily withdrawn from Jiangnan City, returned with arrogant swagger!
Having hitched themselves to the great tree that was Zheng Bieli, the Jin family was now extremely high-profile, even more so than before.
This meeting was organized and prepared by the Jin family, running errands for Zheng Bieli.
Many prominent families and influential powerhouses in Jiangnan City had received invitations.
The Lan family was no exception.
...
Wu Family, Jiangnan City.
The mansion was deep and imposing.
Unlike the Lan family, the Wu family was a prominent family that had been established in Jiangnan City for over a hundred years. They were a martial family, considered a top-tier aristocratic family in the entire Jiangnan City.
They had more than one martial arts master in the Xuan Gang realm, and even the City Lord's mansion relied on them to some extent.
In Wu Tong's secluded courtyard, an unexpected guest had arrived.
Jin Wudao and Wu Tong had a long private conversation before leaving.
After Jin Wudao left, Wu Tong looked at the distant sky, a venomous glint flashing in her eyes.
Last time, when she lectured at the Lan family's ancestral hall, she had intended to use her charm techniques to seduce Ling Fan and ruin the reputation of Ling Fan and Lan Xueyi. However, Ling Fan had seen through her plan, and she had been slapped by Ling Fan.
Thinking of this, she still felt a dull ache on her face.
Furthermore, her proud knowledge and insights had been dismissed as worthless by Ling Fan, whom she considered a mere nobody!
To her, this was an immense humiliation.
That day, after returning home, she recounted Ling Fan's words to the Old Master. She had expected the Old Master to reprimand Ling Fan's nonsensical ramblings. To her surprise, the Old Master had agreed wholeheartedly and instead admonished her for being too impatient, telling her to continuously increase her knowledge and deepen her understanding of martial arts!
This was even harder for the usually arrogant Wu Tong to accept.
Instead of reflecting on her own shortcomings, she blamed everything on Ling Fan.
"Someone, go tell Lan Xueyi that I'm inviting her to the meeting at Tianxiang Tower... Never mind, it's more reliable for me to invite her myself!"
...
Time passed quickly.
After the fervor of the recent conflict between the Jin and Lan families subsided, Jiangnan City became lively again with the arrival of Zheng Bieli, the newly appointed Yellow-rank High-grade Weapon Master and Five City Patrol Envoy.
Today, Tianxiang Tower was booked entirely.
Outside the tower, luxurious carriages arrived one after another, with distinguished guests like clouds.
Heads of prominent families, martial arts powerhouses, and renowned weapon masters from the weapon crafting world came one after another.
Before the meeting officially began, there was a small exhibition showcasing representative weapons by top artisans from Yunmeng City. Among them were several powerful spirit weapons belonging to the new Five City Patrol Envoy, Zheng Bieli, which attracted many people to stop and admire.
"Master Ling, you've finally arrived!"
Wang Taiping had been waiting at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower. Seeing Ling Fan appear in simple cloth attire, he quickly welcomed Ling Fan inside.
"Master Ling, the meeting will officially start in a little while. You can take a stroll around Tianxiang Tower first."
Ling Fan nodded and said, "You attend to your business; you don't need to mind me."
He knew that as the president of the Jiangnan City branch, Wang Taiping would be extremely busy today.
...
Tianxiang Tower had seven floors, towering significantly above the surrounding buildings, offering an excellent view.
At this moment, on the terrace of the seventh floor, two stunning beauties were sitting, sipping tea and admiring the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan City.
One wore a simple white long dress, her skin as fair as frost and snow, appearing much whiter than her clothes.
The other wore a red low-cut evening gown, with a proud figure, exuding an alluring charm.
They were Wu Tong and Lan Xueyi.
The Tianxiang Tower attendants, having never seen beauties of this caliber, were mesmerized, stealing glances from time to time.
Just then, a tall, handsome, and elegant young man appeared and said politely, "Miss Wu, Miss Lan, greetings."
"Oh, Young Master Tan is here!"
Wu Tong smiled and stood up, introducing, "Xueyi, this is my good friend, Young Master Tan Tianyang. Their Tan family is a top family in Jiangnan City, and he himself is one of the renowned Ten Young Masters of Jiangnan City, ranked third. His cultivation has reached the late stage of Qi Refining, comparable to many mid-generation powerhouses."
"Hello."
Lan Xueyi responded indifferently.
"Please, Young Master Tan, have a seat," Wu Tong said.
A hint of disappointment flashed in the handsome youth's eyes, but he immediately sat down with a smile.
"Oh no, I suddenly remembered I have something to attend to. Xueyi, please help me entertain Young Master Tan. He has long admired you and has been pestering me to introduce you to him."
After saying that, Wu Tong left without waiting for Lan Xueyi's consent, taking the attendant with her.
In an instant, only Lan Xueyi and Tan Tianyang were left on the terrace.
Tan Tianyang was clearly an experienced player in the game of romance and knew how to please women, speaking eloquently.
Unfortunately, Lan Xueyi was not receptive, her expression cold as she focused on her tea.
Tan Tianyang was not discouraged and tried his best to flaunt his charm.
It had to be said that Tan Tianyang was indeed very handsome, with a distinguished family background and strong personal strength. His ranking as third among the Ten Young Masters of Jiangnan City was not without reason.
For such an almost perfect man to show such attentiveness, any other woman would have already fallen for him.
"Miss Lan, I heard from Wu Tong that you have always been devoted to martial arts. Coincidentally, I am also a martial arts enthusiast. I know that Tianxiang Tower has some excellent training rooms where we won't be disturbed. How about we go there for a good spar and exchange?"
Tan Tianyang's admiration was almost unconcealed, and he subtly moved closer, exuding a masculine assertiveness.
He had subdued many famous young ladies from aristocratic families in Jiangnan City with this tactic.
However, facing his ardent gaze, Lan Xueyi's attitude became even colder by three points. A hint of disgust flashed in her eyes, and she stood up, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm not interested. Please excuse me."
"Miss Lan, don't be in a hurry to leave. I apologize, I was presumptuous. It's just that I admire you so much that I couldn't help myself. I hope you can understand!"
Tan Tianyang blocked her path, pleading, "It's not too late to leave after Wu Tong returns. Otherwise, if she finds out I upset you, she won't forgive me. Please, I beg you."
This tactic of his was always effective. Feigning weakness, combined with his delicate features, was very captivating to women and could easily evoke their protective instincts.
As expected, upon mentioning Wu Tong, Lan Xueyi hesitated.