I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

The eighth floor of the Royal Dynasty Restaurant.

The entire banquet hall was booked by the Sanyi Society at great expense.

The elevator doors slid open to both sides.

Lei Ye came out. He was in his fifties, wearing a dark blue silk jacket with a front opening, and twirling a fine green jade thumb ring in his hand.

Twelve burly men in black suits with crew cuts followed behind, blocking the elevator entrance and stairwell.

Master Qiao, dressed in a dark red Tang suit, strode forward, bowing low.

"Master Lei, it's an honor to have you here. I'm so sorry I didn't greet you properly." Master Qiao offered a cigar with both hands.

Lei Ye didn't take the cigar and walked straight into the banquet hall.

"Old Qiao, you're getting worse as you get older. Thirty years of business, wiped out in three days."

"If it weren't for the fact that you send tribute to the provincial capital every year, I wouldn't be getting involved in this mess," said Grandpa Lei as he walked.

Third Master Qiao's face flushed red as he followed beside him.

"Master Lei is right. That Lin Ting doesn't play by the rules."

"He has money and thousands of reckless peasants; we really can't hold out any longer," Uncle Qiao interjected from behind.

Lei Ye stopped and glanced back at Qiao Er Ye.

"More people are useful, what's the point of having a police station? The provincial capital is about its heritage and connections. Country folk only know a few tricks when they come to the city." Lei continued walking inside.

There were twenty tables set up in the banquet hall.

Qian Jin from the Municipal Construction Commission, more than a dozen machine shop owners from the Jiangnan Heavy Industry bidding conference, and prominent merchants from the prefecture-level city were all seated below.

Lei walked to the main table and sat down with an air of authority.

Four burly men with crew cuts stood behind him, their arms crossed in front of them, their suit jackets bulging at the hem.

The room fell silent. No one dared to touch their chopsticks.

Master Qiao picked up the wine pot and poured Master Lei a glass of Moutai.

"Everyone, I've invited you all here today to bear witness. Master Lei from the provincial capital has stepped in to mediate the dispute between our Sanyi Society and the Lin family."

Third Master Qiao raised his wine glass and spoke loudly to the entire room.

Qian Jin was the first to stand up, holding his wine glass as he walked to the main table.

"Master Lei, I've heard so much about you. I'm Qian Jin from the Municipal Construction Commission. This Lin family is truly outrageous. Relying on their wealth, they're forcibly disrupting the city's bidding and tendering process."

"The Lin family forcibly seized that Jiangnan Heavy Industry project." Qian Jin bowed and offered a toast.

Lei took a sip of his wine.

"Judge Qian, thank you for your hard work. We can't break the city's rules. The Lin family can't handle the Jiangnan Heavy Industry order." Master Lei put down his wine glass.

Mr. Li, the owner of the machine shop, also stood up.

"Master Lei, the Lin family's logistics company is even more unscrupulous. They halved the shipping fees; this is malicious dumping."

"Our factories are being forced to stop shipping goods normally because of them. The Sanyi Association's trucks can't leave, so we're not feeling at ease," Boss Li complained.

Lei Ye twirled the jade thumb ring in his hand.

"Old Qiao, what are the conditions you offered the Lin family?" Lei asked.

Third Master Qiao took half a step closer.

"Hongtu Machinery Factory was transferred to the Sanyi Association free of charge, and six deep-water wharves along the river were handed over."

Lin's Logistics was dissolved, and Lin Ting led his men back to Tazhai.

He would leave half of his previous earnings as compensation to the Sanyi Society. "That's what Master Qiao said."

Lei nodded.

"The conditions offered weren't too high. Sparing his life is already giving him face."

His so-called great-grandfather identity might work to fool old men and women in the countryside.

"Once you get to the city, dragons have to coil up and tigers have to lie low." Lei Ye tapped his fingers on the table.

The bald vice president wiped his sweat.

"Boss Lei, Lin Ting's men are really good fighters. Over at Wild Boar Bay, they capsized all thirty-five of our speedboats underwater," the bald vice president whispered.

Lei Ye burst out laughing.

"They're good fighters. These four brothers behind me are from the provincial capital. Each of them has a murder case on their hands and has seen blood."

"What can those farming men from the Lin family use to fight them? Hoes?" Lei Ye pointed to the crew-cut man behind him.

The four burly men with crew cuts were expressionless. One of them pulled up the hem of his suit jacket, revealing a section of black metal gun handle.

Qian Jin saw the gun handle clearly, took a step back, and bumped into a chair.

The business owners in the room shrank back and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look any longer.

Master Qiao now had a better understanding of the situation.

"Master Lei is right. No matter how arrogant Lin Ting is, he can't be as arrogant as the firearms in the provincial capital."

"If he dares to step through this door today, he'll have to obediently sign the papers." Master Qiao straightened his back.

The clock on the wall pointed to 7:30.

The banquet hall doors were closed, and there was no sound.

Master Qiao kept checking his watch.

"Third Master, Lin Ting isn't too scared to come, is he?" Second Master Qiao asked in a low voice.

Third Master Qiao frowned.

"The invitation was sent to Lin's Logistics Building last night, specifically requesting that Lin Ting come alone. If he doesn't come, it's disrespectful to Master Lei." Third Master Qiao looked at the head of the table.

Lei Ye slowed down his movements as he turned the jade thumb ring.

"In Jiangnan Province, no one dares to defy me, Lei. What is Lin Ting anyway?" Lei Ye's tone became more forceful.

Qian Jin quickly responded.

"Brother Lei, I think Lin Ting is a coward. He knew you were coming, and he probably wet his pants and ran back to Tazhai overnight."

"These country bumpkins, they've never seen the world, how dare they come to your banquet?" Qian Jin tried his best to please him.

Lei ignored Qian Jin and took a sip of his tea.

"Qiao Laosan, send someone downstairs to check. If they've arrived, bring them up directly. If they haven't, I'll go to Tazhai myself tomorrow."

"I want to see if his century-old ancestral hall can withstand the bulldozers from the provincial capital." Old Lei slammed his teacup heavily on the table.

Master Qiao waved his hand and summoned several henchmen.

"Go down to the lobby and keep watch. If you see Lin Ting, grab him and bring him up. Don't let him escape," Second Master Qiao ordered.

Several henchmen quickly ran out of the banquet hall.

Time passed slowly, and no one in the hall dared to make a sound.

The table was laden with lobsters and abalone, but no one touched them. The owners sat stiffly in their chairs, silent as if trembling with fear.

Lei Ye leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

Third Master Qiao paced back and forth around the main table, his leather shoes making a dull thud on the carpet.

Qian Jin took a document out of his briefcase and handed it to Master Lei with both hands.

"Mr. Lei, this is the notice of license revocation drafted by the Municipal Construction Commission."

With just a word from you, the Lin family's construction team's qualification will be cancelled in the system first thing tomorrow morning.

"They won't even be able to lay a single brick in the city," Qian Jin declared, expressing his loyalty.

Lei didn't even open his eyes.

"Just leave it there. It's just a construction team; it's not worth the effort."

Tomorrow I'll call the senior executive of the provincial heavy industry company, the one named Sun Jianguo, and tell him to retire early.

"Dare to accept the Lin family's goods? That's going against me, Lei." Lei's voice wasn't loud, but it sent chills down everyone's spines.

Boss Li quickly stood up and poured the wine.

"Master Lei has connections everywhere. That stubborn old man Sun Jianguo should have been kicked out long ago."

"From now on, all machining orders in prefecture-level cities will depend on Master Lei's word." Boss Li downed his drink in one gulp.

A chorus of agreement erupted in the banquet hall.

After three days of anxiety, Master Qiao finally felt relieved.

With Lei Ye's words, even if Lin Ting had extraordinary abilities, he couldn't turn the tide.

The funds, connections, and military power of the provincial capital are simply beyond the reach of a village chief in a prefecture-level city.

7:50.

The henchman pushed open the banquet hall door, panting heavily.

"Second Master, there's not a soul in sight downstairs, not even a single car from the Lin family has been seen," the henchman reported.

Master Qiao kicked the henchman in the leg.

"Useless trash, go keep watch on the main road," Master Qiao cursed.

Master Qiao walked up to Master Lei.

"Master Lei, Lin Ting is deliberately keeping us waiting. He's courting death." Master Qiao gritted his teeth.

Lei Ye opened his eyes and stared at the door.

"Ignorant fool. When I, Lei, go out on business, I never return empty-handed."

If Lin Ting doesn't come today, the Lin family won't exist in the prefecture-level city tomorrow.

"All the businesses he owned were taken over by our provincial capital." With just one sentence, Master Lei decided the fate of the Lin family.

The second hand of the wall clock ticked away.

As it approached eight o'clock, the gate remained tightly closed.

Lei Ye sat in the main seat, playing with a jade thumb ring, his voice deep.

"It's eight o'clock, and that young man from the Lin family still hasn't arrived? Does he really think I, the person in charge of the provincial capital, am just a figurehead?"