Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun
Chapter 279 The Banquet
"I've told you many times, don't call me godfather," Huang Tai frowned, speaking earnestly.
"It's just a slip of the tongue," Zhang Yuanqing said. "God... Brother Huang, you must help out at tonight's banquet. The boss is only offering an annual interest rate of 2.9%, so not many people are willing to lend money."
Huang Taiji said in a deep voice, "2.9% is a bit low. Even bank certificates of deposit earn more than that."
"That's why I'm asking for your help. Everyone knows that those who sell land and houses are the big players."
Huang Taiji wore a businesslike expression. "The group's money isn't my money. A low-return investment will damage my reputation and credibility..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly exclaimed, "Godfather!"
Huang Taiji's lips twitched slightly. "I'll consider it."
"Boss, esteemed guests, my godfather has arrived!"
"Thank you, Godfather," Zhang Yuanqing said loudly as he led Dong Taiji into the banquet hall.
The handsome men and beautiful women in formal attire and evening gowns in the hall looked over in surprise.
Familiar faces and ambiguous gazes focused on Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji didn't have Insight, but he easily understood the astonishment, surprise, and a hint of admiration from these second, third, and fourth-generation officials.
This surprise and envy were different from what he received as one of the official Four Young Masters. Yuan Shi Tianzun was not what he used to be. After the Five Elements Chaos dungeon, he had completely entered the ranks of the strongest below the Lord. In terms of strength, he could already sit on par with the official Four Young Masters.
Whether it was a good reputation or a bad one, he had surpassed the silent Young Master Huang, the irritable and impulsive Young Master Huo, the lazy and amorous Young Master Hua, and the benevolent Young Master Qian. This "Godfather" was everyone's surprise and astonishment that Huang Taiji had actually subdued Yuan Shi Tianzun.
Huang Taiji silently straightened his back and walked into the banquet hall like a celebrity on the red carpet. Prominent guests surrounded him, greeting him warmly and respectfully.
Zhang Yuanqing withdrew from the dining hall, crossed the courtyard, and continued to greet guests at the entrance of the villa.
Soon, he welcomed two more acquaintances, who were also the main characters of tonight's banquet: Miao Teng'er and Ling Jun.
Miao Teng'er was dressed dazzlingly tonight, wearing a smooth, shiny white silk shirt and a light blue pleated long skirt, refreshing like a bouquet of orchids.
This perfectly complemented her temperament and appearance, refined and otherworldly, yet with the coquettishness of a mature woman.
"Sister Teng'er, a day apart feels like three autumns," Zhang Yuanqing laughed loudly, opening his arms to greet her, as if to give Miao Teng'er a warm embrace.
Miao Teng'er's face blossomed with a bright smile, and she generously gave him a quick hug, humming, "I'm older than you, call me sister."
"That won't do. Ling Jun is my dearest friend and brother, and you're his sister, so that makes you my sister. Tsk tsk, is Sister Teng'er trying to outshine everyone tonight?" Zhang Yuanqing praised sincerely and enthusiastically. Miao Teng'er chided, "You're so glib."
"Just being modest, just being modest!" Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Miao Teng'er's small hand, patted the back of her hand, and said earnestly, "In my eyes, Sister Teng'er is the number one beauty in the official world, even more beautiful than Yin Ji by three points."
His expression and tone were serious, as if he was about to swear an oath to the heavens.
These words clearly struck a chord with Miao Teng'er. Her exquisite face instantly bloomed with a bright smile. She suddenly sighed, "I'm sorry about the trial."
She was referring to the fact that Elder Miao didn't help Yuan Shi Tianzun at the trial.
"Ah, Elder Miao is a cunning old fox. He knows that Ling Jun, you, and I have a deep friendship, so even if he doesn't help me, I can't hold a grudge," Zhang Yuanqing said, shrugging.
Miao Teng'er looked at him for a few moments, then smiled again.
"Teng'er, you go in first. I want to talk to Yuan Shi," Ling Jun coughed, urging his cousin to go in quickly, so she wouldn't get entangled with Yuan Shi Tianzun. Miao Teng'er nodded slightly and walked gracefully across the courtyard towards the villa.
"Five seconds!" Ling Jun said quietly.
"What five seconds?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled.
"You held Teng'er's hand for more than five seconds. Teng'er hates physical contact with the opposite sex, including shaking hands."
"Not only did you let your lecherous hands hold her hand, but she even let you hug her..."
"It was just a quick hug. My chest hasn't even measured up to your sister's..."
"Hey, if you keep flirting with my sister, I'm going to get angry," Ling Jun sighed.
"But Teng'er just likes your type: talented, unconventional, high EQ, and knows how to please people. It's a pity you already have Guan Ya, otherwise I would have been very happy to introduce Teng'er to you."
"Stop it. Fu Qingyang would give us each a 'Technique Approaching the Dao'."
"You're worried that Fu Qingyang will give us each a sword, rather than Guan Ya being sad? You care about Fu Qingyang's feelings?"
"No, I should go in," Zhang Yuanqing suddenly said, grabbing him and pushing him into the courtyard.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the invited guests gradually arrived at the Fu Family Bay villa. The banquet venue was in the attached building on the left, which had a hall specifically for banquets. It was over 500 square meters, covered with thick carpets. The ceiling was hung with layers of crystal lamps, like nine-petal lotus flowers. Long tables covered with white tablecloths were arranged in an orderly manner, and the tables were filled with top-quality ingredients.
Bunny girls led female servers through the crowd, bringing more delicacies, wine, and fruit. In the center of the banquet, there was a shiny, lacquered piano. Miao Teng'er, as pure and beautiful as an orchid, lowered her head and played, her fair and beautiful fingers moving nimbly on the black and white keys.
As the host, Fu Qingyang was dressed in a snow-white suit, with a short ponytail, his sculpted and handsome face as aloof as ever.
He led his trusted subordinate, Yuan Shi Tianzun, to talk and clink glasses with the elites of the official world, appearing as the two brightest stars of the banquet.
After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere became more and more lively. Huang Taiji also took Yuan Shi Tianzun around for a tour, and didn't resist him calling him Godfather at all.
Zhang Yuanqing knew that the task the boss had given him was completed. Young Master Huang would lend money.
In fact, the main contribution to this banquet was Huang Taiji. As the CEO of a government construction group, the group had reduced its financial investment in the real estate industry this year due to the sluggishness of the real estate market, leaving it with a lot of liquid assets. Securing Huang Taiji was equivalent to securing 80% of the funding gap. But Fu Qingyang said that Huang Taiji was a rigid and serious person, and business was business. Young Master Qian's connections weren't very useful in front of Young Master Huang, so Yuan Shi Tianzun, the godson, had to step in.
Zhang Yuanqing stopped drinking after toasting for two rounds. He didn't know how to drink, and even the most expensive wine would be wasted on his palate. He preferred iced cola, but Fu Qingyang said that formal occasions required formal attire, and there was no place for cola at a banquet.
Now, he was sitting near the balcony, enjoying the cool evening breeze, calmly observing the smiling gentlemen and ladies. He was waiting for an opportunity.
Ling Jun's "old ailment" had relapsed, and he was flirting with girls all over the place, laughing loudly in the crowd of women, hitting on one after another, without any time to pay attention to his cousin.
Most people's focus was on Fu Qingyang, Huang Taiji, and other star figures, and not many people paid attention to Miao Teng'er.
Logically speaking, with Miao Teng'er's appearance, figure, and family background, she was also a star figure, but like Yin Ji, she hadn't forgotten her former lover, so she maintained a clean image in social situations and didn't give any high-quality men a chance.
Over time, no one approached her. After all, everyone was a prominent figure. Three-legged toads were hard to find, but two-legged women were everywhere. There was no need to embarrass themselves with her.
At this moment, Fu Qingyang accidentally spilled a few drops of red wine on his chest and immediately excused himself to change clothes.
As soon as Fu Qingyang left, a bunny girl walked towards Miao Teng'er and said in a low voice, "Miss Miao Teng'er, the young master has something important to discuss with you. Please follow me."
"Fu Qingyang wants to see me?" Miao Teng'er glanced at the banquet hall. Seeing that Fu Qingyang was indeed not present, she nodded and stood up, smiling. "Alright!"
She followed the bunny girl out of the banquet hall, down the stairs, and into a guest room on the first floor.
The bunny girl bowed and said, "Please wait here. The young master will be here soon." With that, she closed the door and left.
………
Beijing.
The delegation consisting of the Heavenly Punishment and the Qianhe Group arrived at the Fenglin Wan hotel.
Outside the hotel, a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit, looking refined and amiable, had been waiting for a long time.
"Hunter Executor, hello, I am Elder Miao's secretary, Yang Rong." The middle-aged man's smile was polite, and his handshake was impeccable.
This was the first time the Hunter was representing Heavenly Punishment on a visit to the Five Elements Alliance. He was also a diplomat, of course, but he was mainly responsible for Europe. This time, because the diplomat responsible for Asia happened to be in Lingjing Xingzhe, Heavenly Punishment had assigned the task to him. The Hunter assessed the other party's appearance, quickly finding relevant information in his mind: Yang Rong, the secretary of the Baihua Society's Grand Elder and the deputy minister of foreign affairs.
The Baihua Society's Elder Miao was the minister of foreign affairs, specializing in receiving international orderly organizations and serving as the face and image of the Five Elements Alliance to the outside world.
The Hunter had always felt that the Five Elements Alliance's decision to choose Elder Miao as the minister of foreign affairs was a smart and scheming move. The powerful Wood Sprite was gentle and lacked sharp edges, which was very suitable for deceiving enemies in diplomatic situations and creating a gentle and harmless image of the Five Elements Alliance internationally.
While the Hunter was assessing Secretary Yang, Secretary Yang was also observing him and the three young people from Heavenly Punishment. Among the three, the Sea Sprite Osmond was an old face. He had visited China twice, once during the Transcendent stage. Back then, he was like the current Yuan Shi Tianzun, a star figure of Heavenly Punishment.
As a Sea Sprite, he didn't join the Sea God Church. During the Transcendent stage, he had hunted down several evil professionals of the same level alone, possessing a rich resume and battle achievements, causing the Sea God Church to sigh in regret.
Just like Taiyi Sect sighed in regret that Elder Sun was muddle-headed. He had visited China with the Heavenly Punishment's Ministry of Foreign Affairs many years ago, defeating six Transcendent members of the Five Elements Alliance in the exchange meeting, gaining endless fame. He had come again last year and was already a Level Six Saint, but that time he encountered the brainless Jiang Ju and was almost killed by Jiang Ju. This was his third visit to China.
Of the other two, the one with the same lazy aura as Ling Jun was the Wind Mage Hoover York, similar to Ling Jun. The difference was that this guy looked lazy on the outside but was actually a killing machine. His teacher was Level One Golden Executor Daer Jerome, a peak Lord.
Hoover York's talent and strength were no less than Osmond's, similar to Huang Taiji and Jiang Ju.
As for the serious and silent young man who looked as meticulous as an ascetic monk, he had never seen him before, and he couldn't even recall any relevant information about him.
There were only two possibilities: one, this guy was Heavenly Punishment's secret weapon and was extremely low-key, so the Five Elements Alliance hadn't investigated him; two, this guy was a genuine small fry, brought along to make up the numbers.
Of course, a small fry wasn't qualified to be noticed by Secretary Yang. After all, Heavenly Punishment had countless elites, and it was impossible to investigate each one in detail.
Every time Heavenly Punishment visited China, they would bring a batch of genius-level elites. On the one hand, it was to show foreign orderly organizations their foundation and talents; on the other hand, there was inevitably an "exchange" during the diplomatic process. Bringing over a weakling would only be embarrassing.
Those who could represent an organization abroad were the most elite, the same for any organization.
"Elder Miao has been waiting for a long time. Please come in." Secretary Yang led the Qianhe Group and the members of Heavenly Punishment into the hotel, took the elevator to the floor, and entered a Chinese-style elegant private room. An old man with the appearance of Elder Miao was sitting at a round table, smiling at the incoming envoys.
He had a gentle and peaceful face, like an ancient wise prophet, but his hair was made of black snakes as thick as fingers, hissing and spitting their tongues, swaying like seaweed. His feet were wriggling roots, firmly rooted in the ground. Originally, with the Hunter's status, he wasn't qualified to be personally received by Elder Miao, but he represented Heavenly Punishment, so out of courtesy, Elder Miao couldn't be absent.
The Hunter stepped forward, neither humble nor arrogant, to shake hands with Elder Miao. The Qianhe Group's executives wished they could kowtow to the ground, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Elder Miao." The three young Saints each managed their emotions, bowing and greeting.
The Hunter Executor could be neither humble nor arrogant, but they couldn't. This was both respect for those in high positions and a natural psychological suppression stemming from the other party's equal status.
"Please sit, the banquet is ready." Elder Miao smiled slightly, gesturing for everyone to take their seats. After everyone was seated, they enjoyed a few minutes of national cuisine.
Elder Miao said, "We have read the Qianhe Group's application. What is the identity of the wanted criminal that Heavenly Punishment wants to arrest? The Qianhe Group's application file states that the Qianhe Group wants to extradite and arrest the wanted criminal, which has nothing to do with Heavenly Punishment. This is the standard procedure, but everyone knows what's going on."
It was just catching a wanted criminal. The Five Elements Alliance was happy to give Heavenly Punishment face. The relationship between Heavenly Punishment and the Five Elements Alliance had been quite good in the past year or two.
"An A-level wanted criminal. The organization he belonged to has been wiped out, but this person controls a list of people who secretly colluded with some people inside the orderly organizations." The Hunter Elder briefly introduced the Lord of the Underworld's level, profession, and organizational background.
Elder Miao nodded slightly after listening. "As long as Heavenly Punishment follows the rules during the arrest process, doesn't harm civilians, doesn't make the incident too big, and doesn't refuse the Five Elements Alliance's supervision and assistance, we are willing to provide convenience."
The Hunter smiled. "You are a kind and generous elder." Both sides raised their glasses and drank together.
After chatting for a while, the Hunter brought up the second matter, "It has been almost a year since the Devil Lord fell. I don't know if the Five Elements Alliance has found the Devil Lord's successor?"
"No!" Elder Miao shook his head. "The Five Elements Alliance doesn't care who the Devil Lord's successor is. That's something for the Taiyi Sect to consider. But if the Five Elements Alliance discovers the Devil Lord's successor, we won't ignore it, will we?"
The Hunter said in a deep voice, "We have received a report and have initially identified the Devil Lord's successor."
Elder Miao immediately narrowed his eyes, stared at the Hunter for a few seconds, and said in a deep voice, "Who is it?"
Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun reminds you: Remember to collect after reading