Twin female zombies come to the door: My lord, please have mercy!

Taiping Old Street was bathed in a warm, orange-red glow of the setting sun at dusk.

This old street is usually deserted and desolate; even the scrap collectors find the cobblestone path too uncomfortable to walk on.

This evening, the narrow alleyway entrance was completely blocked by three all-black Mercedes-Maybachs with consecutive license plates.

Neighbors peeked out from behind their rusty security doors, pointing and commenting on the luxury convoy they had only ever seen on television.

"Hey, isn't that the Lin family's kid? This shop almost collapsed after his grandfather passed away, how come he suddenly attracted so many Mercedes-Benzes?"

From the second-floor window across the street, Aunt Chen, who had run a general store for thirty years, shouted at Old Liu, the shoe repairman next door, with a half-smoked cigarette dangling from her lips.

Old Liu pushed up his reading glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and replied in a low voice:

"Haven't you heard? Last night there was thunder and lightning over the Western Hills. My son-in-law was working at the Song family's construction site and said he saw a ball of fire burst out from the ancestral graveyard! This Lin family lad probably really inherited some of Old Lin's skills."

Aunt Chen took a deep drag on her cigarette, squinting her eyes with a hint of disbelief.

Just as she was about to say something more, her gaze suddenly fell on Leng Yue and Shuang Xing, who were walking out of the funeral parlor, and the cigarette butt in her hand immediately fell onto the windowsill.

"Good heavens... those two girls, how come they look like they stepped out of a painting? Has the Lin family opened a ghost marriage agency?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Didn't you see those bodyguards are carrying walkie-talkies? We can't afford to mess with them."

……

Lin Ye pushed the roller shutter door all the way into the top groove with one hand, and led the two zombie women out of the dimly lit shop.

Leng Yue was still wearing that large black trench coat.

She wore a pair of huge sunglasses, which covered most of her stunningly beautiful face.

That chilling aura, so cold it seemed to keep strangers at bay, forcefully repelled the hot air within a few meters.

Froststar changed into a brand new black Lolita dress, with an exquisite bat hair clip on her head.

The little girl held a half-eaten lollipop in her hand, her heterochromatic eyes curiously observing the reflective steel behemoths outside the door.

Upon seeing Lin Ye appear, the door of the Maybach in the middle popped open.

A gaunt old man with gray hair, dressed in an elegant tailcoat, strode forward.

The old man stood upright, his every move exuding the rigorous discipline accumulated by a century-old family.

He stopped a meter in front of Lin Ye, clasped his hands together on his lower abdomen, and bowed deeply.

"Master Lin, I am Song Futian, the steward of the Song family's inner courtyard. I have come on the orders of the family head to present you with a small gift of gratitude to express the Song family's deep appreciation for saving our lives."

The old butler, Song Fu, had a loud and clear voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, the doors of the two cars behind him opened simultaneously.

Six well-trained bodyguards in black suits got out of the car and, in pairs, carefully carried out several mahogany boxes tied with red silk from the trunk.

Fatty Wang watched intently, swallowing hard, and whispered in Lin Ye's ear:

"Ye Zi, the Song family is really generous! Judging by this, could it be a huge pile of gold bars inside?"

Lin Ye rolled her eyes at him, her gaze falling on a gold-embossed gift list that Song Fu handed over.

Song Fu smiled and unfolded the gift list, reading it aloud in a clear and resonant voice:

"The first item is a top-of-the-line Siemens double-door intelligent constant temperature refrigerator. The head of the household heard that the master needed to store precious medicinal herbs, so he specially ordered them to be airlifted from overseas."

Upon hearing the words "refrigerated display case," Froststar, who had previously shown no interest in these mundane formalities, suddenly had two dark blue lights shining in her eyes.

She threw away the lollipop stick in her hand, cheered, and rushed to the huge cardboard box that the bodyguards had just carried down. It was at least two meters tall. She reached out her fair little hands to touch it, and a drop of longing saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"What a huge ice coffin! Now Frostnova can roll around in it without hitting her head!"

The little girl's exclamation sent a chill down the spines of the bodyguards around her.

Song Fu's facial muscles twitched twice, but he pretended not to hear the strange address and continued reciting:

"The second item is a pair of two-hundred-year-old wild purple Ganoderma lucidum from Changbai Mountain, and ten catties of top-grade water-milled cinnabar. The head of the family knows that the master is proficient in Taoist magic, and these mundane items are for the master to use for daily practice."

Lin Ye's heart stirred slightly.

Two-hundred-year-old purple Ganoderma lucidum, such an ancient medicine that defies the wonders of nature, is simply priceless on the market; you can't buy it even if you have the money.

That old fox Song Zhenguo, as expected of the richest man in Jiangzhou, really knows his needs perfectly.

After all, when it comes to gift-giving, it's better to give something clever than something expensive.

"The third item..."

Song Fu paused for a moment, then took out a small carved sandalwood box from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"This is a piece of black, uncarved, thousand-year-old lightning-struck, dark wood marrow. It is extremely cold and yin in nature, and ordinary people will be harmed if they touch it. Presumably only a master like you can subdue it."

Upon seeing this item, Leng Yue, who had been silent all along, turned her head slightly.

Behind the sunglasses, those deep red eyes were fixed on the sandalwood box.

Her slender, jade-like fingers curled gently inside her trench coat pocket.

As a red pheasant, she has an almost obsessive desire for this kind of extremely yin spiritual creature.

If this piece of dark wood marrow could be carved into a hairpin and worn in the hair, it would not only nourish the soul but also suppress the restless red lotus karmic fire within the body at all times.

Lin Ye keenly sensed the fluctuations in Leng Yue's emotions.

He knew that what the Song family was sending was not a thank-you gift, but clearly a debt of gratitude that was impossible to refuse.

A faint light flickered on my retina, and the system's prompts rang crisply in my mind.

"Ding! System notification: Faced with the carefully prepared sweet-coated bullets of Jiangzhou's richest man, please correct your attitude and make a decision with the demeanor of a wise man within three minutes!"

[Option A: Flustered Refusal – Repeatedly waving hands and shouting, "No, no, this is too valuable," and returning the item the way it was.]

[Reward: Earn the title "Incorruptible and Honest." Consequences: Cold Moon will stare at you like you're an idiot for three days, and Frost Star will chew your pillow to pieces in the middle of the night because she lost the large refrigerator.]

[Option B: Accept everything and demand more—snatch the wooden box with a greedy look on his face, questioning the butler, "Is this all you've got for a beggar?"]

[Reward: Thickness of skin +100. Consequence: You will completely lose the Song family's respect, and the Ninth Bureau's undercover agents will mark you as a greedy and dangerous individual.]

Option C: Reciprocity is key – Accept the generous gift with composure and publicly reciprocate with a hand-drawn talisman, demonstrating the magnanimity and profound knowledge of a master of Taoism.

[Reward: 200 Official Points, Song Family Loyalty Permanently Fixed, and a Mystic-Rank Talisman Crafting Material Pack.]

This is another easy question with no suspense whatsoever.

I choose C.

As soon as Lin Ye made up his mind, his previously casual standing posture suddenly straightened up a bit.

He didn't reach out to take the gift list, but calmly accepted the sandalwood box.

"Mr. Song, you are too kind. These items have just solved my urgent problem, so I will accept them without hesitation."

Lin Ye's voice was calm, without the slightest hint of humility or surprise.

He reached into his tactical backpack and pulled out three yellow paper talismans folded into triangles with red string.

This is a "peace talisman" that he drew last night using pure yang blood mixed with cinnabar.

Lin Ye handed the three talismans to the old steward, Song Fu.

"Those in the Xuanmen sect value the clear reconciliation of cause and effect. The Song family gifted me spiritual herbs and precious materials, so I reciprocated by giving them three protective talismans. Wearing these talismans close to your body can ward off three deadly evil spirits."

Lin Ye's tone exuded an air of unparalleled confidence.

"Tell Elder Song that if the Song family encounters evil spirits again in the future, they can come to Taiping Old Street to find me with this talisman."

Song Fu was well-informed and knew how incredibly heavy these three seemingly insignificant pieces of yellow paper were.

This is equivalent to giving the core members of the Song family three extra lives!

The old steward was so excited that his hands trembled as he solemnly accepted the talisman and bowed deeply.

"Master, your words are truly virtuous! I will certainly convey your words to the patriarch without missing a single one!"

After the handover was completed, the bodyguards quickly carried several mahogany boxes and the huge smart refrigerator into the first-floor lobby of the funeral parlor.

Fatty Wang was grinning from ear to ear, and took the initiative to direct the bodyguards to arrange the items...