True Solution of the Sword Dao

Nighttime, vehicles occasionally sweeping past, the gentle night breeze brushing against them. The air was chilly, but Lin Jianguo and Jiang Feng didn’t feel cold—rather, there was a sense of mysterious astonishment.

"When did you meet these friends? How come we didn’t know?" Lin Jianguo asked, puzzled.

Lin Fei smiled, "It’s nothing; I just helped her out once. We got to talking and gradually became familiar,"

"But how can we inconvenience her like this?" Jiang Feng was always gentle and graceful.

"It’s not an inconvenience, her car just happened to be nearby. She said she’d give us a ride on her way."

Lin You, however, stood aside, looking at Lin Fei with a strange expression. He kept silent.

When his uncle and the others had left earlier, Lin Fei had sent a text to Lingzi to come over. So, he had prepared these responses in advance.

"Look, here she comes." Lin Fei pointed at a black Audi A6 slowly pulling up.

"This car... it must be expensive..." Jiang Feng whispered.

"It must be over six hundred thousand," answered their father, Lin Jianguo, in a hushed voice. Jiang Feng fell silent. Lin You’s eyes flickered for a moment.

The black sedan stopped steadily, and the car window slowly rolled down.

"Brother Fei, get in," said the gorgeous girl in the driver’s seat with a radiant smile.

"You must be Feifei’s friend. I’m sorry to trouble you so late at night," Lin Jianguo said politely. As the head of the family, it was natural for him to step up and make a gesture at this moment.

"It’s nothing, Feifei’s family is my family, Lingzi’s family. Don’t say so much; just get in," Lingzi said, naturally feeling a bit embarrassed as the car was actually Lin Fei’s.

"Thanks, Lingzi."

"It’s okay."

Lin Fei went over and pulled open the car door, pushing his parents inside. Lin You, however, stood outside, unmoving.

"You, Lin You?" Lin Jianguo asked in confusion.

"I’m not going, you guys go on without me." Lin You pouted, visibly upset holding his black cat.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Jiang Feng, frustrated that Lin You was throwing a tantrum at such a critical moment.

Truth be told, Lin You just couldn’t swallow his pride. Being that the car was summoned by Lin Fei and driven by Lin Fei’s friend, he had always believed that he was superior to his brother Lin Fei, both in personal abilities and social interactions; and now riding in the car felt like a debt owed to Lin Fei, indirectly admitting that his own social circle was inferior to that of his brother. Proud as he was, Lin You naturally became petulant.

Lin Fei was well aware of Lin You’s mentality and knew he stumbled over his pride.

"Come on, Lin You, let’s talk about it when we get home. Do you want Mom and Dad to keep waiting here? It’s already late; let’s go home first."

Lin You huffed and turned his head away.

"I’ll walk back on my own; you guys go ahead."

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Lin You, dressed only in a thin T-shirt, couldn’t help but slightly shrink his neck.

Lin Fei moved closer, "Do me a favor, eh? Give me some face in front of Lingzi." He intentionally spoke ambiguously, but this also turned getting into the car into a favor for him, saving his face.

Sure enough, Lin You, easily fooled, blinked his eyes, looking back and forth between Lin Fei and Lingzi. Finally, he whispered, "Okay, I’ll do you this favor." He said so, but who would really want to walk several kilometers home so late at night? It was just stubborn pride before.

Lin Jianguo and Jiang Feng, seated in the car, saw Lin Fei and Lin You speaking softly for a few moments, then Lin You obediently got into the car, piquing their curiosity. After all, the siblings usually had a very poor relationship. They wondered what Lin Fei and Lin You had discussed.

Lin Fei took the passenger seat. He smiled slightly at Lingzi and nodded.

Lingzi then started the car.

The black sedan sped along the dark city streets into the distance.

***************

The early morning.

Ping City Origin Supermarket.

Two soberly dressed men stood in front of the supermarket, one older and one younger.

"Uncle Lang, it all depends on you this time. The owner trusts me a lot; there shouldn’t be a problem," the younger man whispered.

The older man beside him, dressed in a designer suit and shiny shoes, clearly looked the part of a boss. Hearing the younger man speak, he smiled slightly.

"We’ll stick to the plan, absolutely no problem."

"Yes." The young man nodded and pulled out his phone to dial a number.

"Hello, is this Yuansheng? Didn’t you mention before that you wanted to invest in that project? It just so happens that my uncle came to Ping City today. How about I arrange a meeting for you two?"

In a residential building, Jiang Yuansheng held his phone with a joyful expression.

"That would be great, Li Qiang. Please arrange it. I’m free for the next few days....Yes....Yes....We’ll discuss the details then! Great! Alright! No problem! I’ll host! Great! That settles it, see you then."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yuansheng couldn’t suppress his joy any longer and roared softly with his hands striking loudly.

"What’s making you so happy?" his wife asked tiredly as she stepped out of the bedroom.

"A big deal! Let women not bother about these things!" Jiang Yuansheng waved dismissively, not wanting to elaborate.

"Look at you, it’s just a deal."

"What do you know!" Jiang Yuansheng said, displeased. "If this time I can successfully make the connections, hehe..." He didn’t finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.

Meanwhile, the doors of two other bedrooms in the hallway opened, and Jiang Nan and Jiang Yan came out, yawning.

"Yan Yan, are you awake? You’ll be going back to school in a couple of days. See if there’s anything else you want, I’ll buy it for you!" Jiang Yuansheng, in a good mood, waved generously.

"Really?" Jiang Yan also perked up a bit.

"Of course, hurry up and get ready," Jiang Yuansheng waved his hand. "I’ll drive us to the shops in a bit."

"Yay!" Jiang Yan cheered and turned back into her bedroom to change clothes.

Jiang Nan stood quietly to the side, not saying anything. She was used to being overlooked by her father. She turned and silently went back to her room as well.

"How can Jiang Nan leave without saying hello? Really," the wife complained.

"Alright, alright, go wash up. We’re heading out soon. Let Jiang Nan stay home and study hard. If she could be just like her sister, we wouldn’t have to worry," Jiang Yuansheng urged his wife.

"Fine, fine," his wife said as she tied her hair back and went into the bathroom.

Jiang Yuansheng then walked to the study and picked up the landline to make another call. After a few rings, the call connected.

"Hello, is this Mingjun? How’s the loan I applied for? It’s been approved? Great, great, thank you so much. I really needed it urgently this time, that’s why I mortgaged the supermarket for the loan. Don’t worry, it won’t be long before I replenish it! We’ve had so many dealings before, aren’t you confident in me? Great, that’s settled then, let’s have a drink together sometime."

"Hello, this is Jiang Yuansheng. Xiao Li, withdraw all the current liquid assets. I need to use them."

"Jianmin, it’s Yuansheng. Yeah, I need a favor. I need to borrow some operating funds. Don’t worry, I have connections, it’s Li Qiang. I helped him out when his family was down. Yes, now that his old man has turned things around, nothing can go wrong! How could I not include you in this? Right, right, it’s that project. I’ve already checked out the details. Yes, that’s why I’m so urgent. I’m still a bit short in funds. Yeah, I’ll come over to your place and write an IOU for a million. Just a million for now. I guarantee no issues!! Great, that’s it!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Click!" The receiver was hung up. Jiang Yuansheng’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"This time I have to make a big score!"

He calmed his excitement, then clapped his hands again.

"Right, the houses! These few properties can also secure a loan of millions. I almost forgot about this deal!" He immediately began to make another call to contact a bank acquaintance.

**************

In a posh private room of a high-end restaurant in Ping City.

A group of people sat around a table, clinking their glasses together.

"Guys, I can’t hold it anymore, I’m going to the restroom," a well-dressed young man said with a smile as he stood up.

"Li Qiang, I’ll join you," another young man also said as he stood up, everyone at the table dressed in high-end clothing, clearly not from ordinary households.

"Li Qiang, you have no skills except one, pretense!"

"That’s two words, isn’t it?"

"Dongzi is drunk too, hehe."

"Hurry back! There’s more activity later,"

"Sure, sure, right away."

Li Qiang and the other young man left the private room, and the cool air hit them, slightly sobering them up from the alcohol.

"Things have been tight recently, Li Qiang, when can our deal happen?" the young man whispered.