A master of both medicine and martial arts, he recruits a beautiful CEO to cultivate immortality tog

The president's eyes narrowed slightly behind his mask.

Du Kun's impatience was within his expectations. The Jiaolong Group's main power base was in the waterway docks and freight markets of Jinling. In recent years, they had been trying to extend their reach into the urban entertainment and loan sharking industries controlled by Tianfeng Pavilion, and they had high hopes for this plan.

It's normal to feel resentful now that your hopes have been dashed.

But cooperation is about strength and interests, not temperament.

"Team Leader Du, if the plan fails, Night Raven will suffer even greater losses." The chairman's voice turned cold. "The manpower we've planted and the resources we've invested are far more valuable than the intelligence from the three dock routes. But since we're all in the same boat now, complaining won't solve anything. What we should be thinking about now is what to do next."

Du Kun snorted heavily, took another puff of his cigar, and forced himself to calm down.

He knew that the man in front of him wearing a crow mask was cunning, ruthless, and not someone to be trifled with.

"Then tell me, what's the next step? A full-scale attack? Tianfeng Pavilion must have huddled up like a hedgehog by now. Yue Zhenhai and Leng Feng are no pushovers. A head-on collision, even if we win, will be a Pyrrhic victory, just giving the other spectators a free ride."

"A direct assault is naturally the worst possible strategy."

Night Raven's fingertips are on the core area of ​​Tianfeng Pavilion on the Jinling map.

"After this battle, Liu Zhixian's internal purge seems to have created a united front, but in reality, people are filled with fear. In particular, those middle and lower-level leaders and businesses that were originally affiliated with the Punishment Hall, Wind Hall, and Fire Hall are now all in danger, fearing that they will be purged."

Du Kun's eyes flickered: "You mean... take this opportunity to win them over?"

"It's not just about courting them. Many of Tianfeng Pavilion's 'special' businesses, such as casino turnover, loan sharking, and even some shady smuggling operations, all require the help of water transport or docks for processing."

"Previously, these channels were mostly secretly controlled by Lei Wanjun and his group, and they also had intricate connections with your Jiaolong Group. Now that these three lines have been severed, Liu Zhixian may not be able to fully take over in the short term, and even if she wanted to, the people below her might not be willing to cooperate."

Du Kun stopped fiddling with his prayer beads, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "You mean, cut off their logistics lifeline? And at the same time, secretly contact those middle-level members of Tianfeng Pavilion who have lost their backers and are afraid of being purged?"

Du Kun stroked his chin and nodded slowly: "This move is insidious... and practical enough. Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Those people down below who are just trying to make a living don't care who's in charge; they only care about their own pockets. As long as we cut them off for a while, without us having to win them over, some of them will naturally come knocking on our door begging for a way to survive."

He paused, then looked at the chairman, "So what is your Night Raven Society doing? Just leaving us, the Flood Dragon Group, to take the hits?"

The chairman let out a very soft chuckle, the ravenous eyes on his mask seeming to gleam in the candlelight: "We naturally have our tasks. We need to investigate that 'young man' of unknown origin beside Liu Zhixian. We also need to continue putting pressure on the Su Group. Furthermore…"

His finger moved to another direction on the map, where icons for several upscale clubs and financial companies were marked.

"...Besides its underground businesses, Tianfeng Pavilion also has several legitimate industries that have been laundered, especially the real estate project in the new eastern part of the city that it's recently been trying to get involved in. Perhaps we can make some money there. Fair business competition shouldn't break the rules, right?"

Du Kun pondered the chairman's words carefully.

Cut off its logistics, disrupt its financial resources, investigate its background, and then launch an attack in the overt business sector... This is a combination of measures. Although it may be slower to take effect, it is more insidious and difficult to defend against, and can erode the foundation of Tianfeng Pavilion from multiple levels.

"Fine!" He slammed his hand on the table. "We'll do it your way! I'll handle things at the docks; I guarantee they'll have no complaints. But, Chairman, let me be clear: if anything goes wrong again this time..."

"If we fail again, my Night Raven Society is willing to give up the profits of three streets in the South City as compensation to the Flood Dragon Group," the chairman said calmly, but with an undeniable weight.

Du Kun stared at the chairman for a few seconds, then finally grinned, revealing a somewhat sinister smile: "Great! Then... let's continue our cooperation!"

……

As dawn broke, Ye Heng had just bought breakfast when his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Gong Yichu: "Mr. Ye, the auction starts at ten o'clock. Should I wait for you at the entrance of the antique street, or should I come pick you up?"

Today is the day the auction begins; he almost forgot.

Ye Heng recalled the way this girl had stood in front of him and questioned Wei Ning at Lingyu Pavilion that day, and a slight smile curved his lips. He typed a reply with one hand: "See you at the street corner."

"Okay!" came the reply almost instantly, followed by another sentence, "I'm wearing a moon-white cheongsam, you should be able to recognize me."

Ye Heng glanced at the time, stuffed the breakfast into his bag, and turned to walk towards the subway station.

Su Yingxue flew to Mohai City early this morning to discuss a project, which gave him some free time.

At the entrance of Taohai Antique Street, the shadows of plane tree leaves are dappled.

Gong Yichu stood under the shade of a tree, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the velvet surface of her handbag.

She was indeed wearing a moon-white cheongsam embroidered with silver thread lotus patterns today, and her hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin, revealing her slender neck.

She spent nearly an hour choosing this outfit last night—too formal would seem deliberate, too casual would seem careless.

"What am I doing..." she muttered to herself, her eyes involuntarily glancing towards the street corner.

Until that familiar figure came into view.

Ye Heng was dressed in a simple light gray shirt and black trousers today, with a tall and upright figure and a composed gait.

Despite being dressed very ordinarily, she stood out in the bustling crowd with a peculiar distinctiveness.

Gong Yichu raised his hand: "Mr. Ye, over here!"

Ye Heng approached, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he nodded: "It fits perfectly."

Just those three words made Gong Yichu's ears burn, and she stammered, "Thank you."

She quickly turned and led the way: "Jizhen Pavilion isn't far ahead, let's walk there. I looked at today's auction list last night, there are some very nice paintings, calligraphy and jade pieces, but..."

"You said you wanted to buy ritual implements, but that's not listed on the list, so I'm not sure if you even have any."

"You'll see when you look." Ye Heng said calmly, but his gaze had already swept over the stalls on both sides of the street.

In the Great Xia Kingdom, many antiques are products left behind by ancient cultivators.

These are collectively known as ritual implements, and due to their antiquity, their quality is also quite poor.

He's just here to try his luck.

Jizhen Pavilion is a three-story Chinese-style pavilion with green tiles and flying eaves, and two stone lions stand in front of the door.

Today's auction is being held in the elegant hall on the second floor. Most of the attendees are prominent figures in the Nanjing art collecting circle. A few unfamiliar faces are also present, but they are all introduced by others and are quite wealthy.

After Gong Yichu presented the invitation, the waiter respectfully led the two to seats in the front row.

As soon as I sat down, I heard whispers behind me:

"Isn't that Old Master Gong's granddaughter? And who's that young man next to her?"

"Never seen him before, but he has an extraordinary air about him. I wonder which family's young master he is."

"Miss Gong actually accompanied me personally; their relationship must be quite special..."

Gong Yichu's expression remained unchanged.

She secretly glanced at Ye Heng beside her out of the corner of her eye.

It had only been a week since they last met, but it felt like a long time. The image of him appraising paintings, identifying jade, and even effortlessly defeating Wei Ning that day kept lingering in her mind.

She recalled her best friend Su Yingrou's teasing words on the phone last night: "Yichu, you're so concerned about him, could you actually be falling for him? I've heard so much about him, this Ye Heng is incredibly mysterious, even my sister is very secretive about him!"

At the time, she just laughed and hung up, but now she couldn't help but ask herself: Was it really just curiosity?