Chapter 160: One Hundred Thousand for a Single Bone

The An family securing the agency this time completely set Anya's mind at ease.

As long as it was managed well, the An family would have a chance to rise again.

"I'm leaving now," Lin Yi said indifferently.

"Lin Yi, um, I'd like to treat you to dinner." Anya's face flushed slightly as she recalled how shamelessly she had hugged him just moments ago.

Furthermore, she felt not the slightest bit of aversion toward it. It wasn't that she had fallen for Lin Yi, but rather that he exuded an aura that brought profound peace of mind to those around him.

In truth, this was because Lin Yi was a cultivator; his body was long since a flawless vessel, purified and refined by true essence. Being in close proximity naturally made people feel serene and comfortable.

"Don't you need to discuss the contract matters in a moment?" Lin Yi asked.

"My grandfather is enough," Anya replied.

She knew that the An family clinging to the towering tree of the Linda Group was only temporary. If they performed poorly, they could be stripped of the status at any moment.

Therefore, it was crucial to establish a good relationship with Lin Yi right now.

Yet Lin Yi flatly refused: "I have other matters to attend to, so dinner won't be necessary."

He had helped Anya this time, but whether they would ever meet again was uncertain.

With that, Lin Yi left very decisively.

Anya watched Lin Yi's retreating figure, feeling somewhat surprised. It was the first time she had ever seen a man with such distinct character.

Lin Yi was in no rush to leave the Linda Group. After wandering around the building for a while, he returned to Wu Da's office.

The bloodstains in the hallway had already been cleaned up with remarkable efficiency.

"Mr. Lin, I have already followed your instructions and replaced the Qing Province agency with the An family," Wu Da said respectfully.

He had specifically had someone investigate the An family's background, finding them to be nothing more than a third-rate, insignificant family.

However, Lin Yi was the actual master behind the Linda Group; whatever he said went.

"Mhm, I saw it."

Lin Yi nodded, then produced a bottle of medicinal pills and said, "These are Nourishing Essence Pills, which can strengthen your fundamental vitality. If you wish to cultivate, I can teach you a body-tempering technique."

Wu Da chuckled, "Mr. Lin, you know my interests do not lie in cultivation."

Not everyone enjoyed martial arts; Wu Da preferred striving in the business world.

Lin Yi respected his choice.

However, Wu Da was approaching seventy. No matter how robust his health, a human life span rarely exceeded a century.

Lin Yi had witnessed too many parting sorrows. Although his heart was already numb, the departure of those around him still brought a trace of melancholy.

"As you wish." Lin Yi shook his head with a faint smile and did not press further.

After a moment of thought, he handed Wu Da a piece of Jade Spirit Fragment.

The Jade Spirit Fragment could exhale and inhale the purest spiritual energy. Wearing it for a long time could improve one's mood and enhance physical fitness.

"What is this?" Wu Da asked, taking the jade fragment.

Lin Yi briefly explained its properties.

Joy bloomed across Wu Da's face. While he disliked martial arts, if there was an effortless way to enhance his physical condition, that was naturally for the best.

"Mr. Lin, isn't this too valuable?"

After a brief moment of pleasant surprise, Wu Da asked cautiously.

"It's all right. Besides, I have plenty of these on hand."

With that, Lin Yi took out several more pieces.

The Jade Spirits were all in his possession; whenever he wanted fragments, he could acquire them at any time.

Wu Da was left speechless.

As expected of Mr. Lin, his wealth was simply unfathomable.

His business intuition told him that if this Jade Spirit Fragment were placed in an auction house, it could easily fetch billions.

Tycoons valued their health above all else, and the one thing Summer lacked was certainly not wealthy people.

"I am leaving. Take good care of yourself," Lin Yi said calmly.

If anyone else had heard these words, they would have felt a strange sense of incongruity.

For a young man to tell an old man to take good care of himself—wasn't the dynamic reversed?

However, Wu Da felt not the slightest dissatisfaction. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Lin. I will continue to work for you and the Linda Group for another twenty years."

Lin Yi patted Wu Da on the shoulder and left the Linda Group.

His purpose in coming to the Linda Group today was simply to see how Wu Da had been doing over the years.

Judging by the present, he was doing quite well, and his physique was remarkably sturdy.

Come to think of it, Lin Yi hadn't wandered around Shanghai for many years. He wondered if some of the old places from back then were still around.

As Lin Yi was walking, four vans suddenly rushed out from behind and surrounded him.

Some pedestrians on the road hurried to the sides at the sight, and a few even pulled out their phones to record videos.

However, none of them noticed that Lin Yi's appearance in the footage was completely blurred.

*Bang.*

The door of one of the vans opened, and four men stepped out.

At a glance, these people belonged to the underworld; they all bore identical black tattoos of the Taotie on their arms.

Without a single word of nonsense, the four men drew iron rods and smashed them toward Lin Yi.

Lin Yi's gaze turned cold. He lashed out with a kick to one man's stomach, sending him flying several meters away, and simultaneously snatched the iron rod from his hand.

*Bang, bang, bang.*

Following a series of dull thuds, all four men collapsed to the ground.

Although Lin Yi held back, he still managed to break a few of their bones.

They were merely ordinary mortals, a bit stronger than the average person at best. But with injuries to tendons and bones requiring a hundred days to heal, they probably wouldn't recover for several months.

The onlookers nearby let out involuntary gasps of astonishment.

No one had expected this slender young man to be so formidable in a fight.

Taking on multiple opponents and knocking them flat on the ground in under three seconds—this was no movie scene.

After dropping those men, the doors of the other vans opened, and more than a dozen more men emerged one after another.

An aggressive and fierce aura emanated from them; they were clearly not people to be trifled with.

The leader was a bald man wearing sunglasses. Despite wearing a suit, he exuded the raw ferocity of a bandit.

"Kid, not bad. Decent moves," the bald man said, removing his sunglasses.

His facial features were scrunched together, which, paired with his bald head, made him look exceptionally sinister.

"Who sent you?" Lin Yi tossed the iron rod aside and asked calmly.

In truth, he already had a guess in mind.

The only ordinary person he had offended since coming to Shanghai was Hou Boming, whom he had encountered earlier at the press conference.

"Nobody sent us. We just think you look very punchable and want to teach you a lesson," the bald man sneered.

The dozen or so other men slowly closed in on Lin Yi, surrounding him tightly.

"How much did he pay you?" Lin Yi continued to ask.

"Damn it, can't you understand human speech? Let's take him together!" the bald man cursed irritably.

The dozen lacklings immediately raised their weapons and charged at Lin Yi.

Lin Yi's fighting skills were impressive, but there were more than a dozen opponents here, and every single one of them was a seasoned brawler.

No one believed he could solo this group.

A few faint-hearted girls closed their eyes, terrified of seeing blood.

The bald man seemed to have already envisioned Lin Yi's head bleeding profusely. He pulled a cigar from his breast pocket, sniffed it, and placed it between his lips to light it.

Lin Yi's expression remained indifferent. Facing the incoming attacks, his heart felt neither joy nor sorrow.

*Bang.*

Lin Yi made his move. Like a wolf charging into a flock of sheep, every punch and kick sent someone crashing to the floor.

Though these thugs were numerous, they couldn't even lay a finger on Lin Yi's clothes.

In a matter of seconds, all of them were sprawled across the ground, unable to get back up.

Currently, the only person left standing on the field was the bald man.

The cigar in his mouth had just been lit, and the triumphant smirk was still frozen on his face.

"What's going on? I barely finished lighting a cigar, and why are all of them lying down?"

The bald man was utterly bewildered. Had he run into a martial arts master?

Lin Yi approached the bald man.

The bald man feigned composure and said, "Brother, you practice martial arts?"

"You could say that," Lin Yi replied.

Hearing this, the bald man's heart sank bitterly. Practitioners also came in different tiers and grades, and judging by this person's performance, he was clearly an expert.

This was the exact type of person they feared encountering most.

"Damn it, I've capsized in a drainage ditch today," the bald man cursed inwardly. Hou Boming had told him this guy was just a poor student from some minor city.

Dammit, Hou Boming was definitely trying to screw him over.

If this was a poor student, he would spell his own name backward.

"Who sent you?" Lin Yi demanded.

"I don't know."

Though terrified inside, the bald man stubbornly kept up a tough facade.

Lin Yi slammed a fist directly into his chest. The bald man felt as though he had been hit by a speeding train; he staggered back several steps before landing flat on his backside.

A burning agony flared in his chest. Opening his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"I—I'm injured?" The bald man had lived a life of luxury in recent years, leaving all the fighting to his subordinates while he merely acted as a deterrent.

"I'll give you one more chance, or don't blame me for being unpolite," Lin Yi said coldly.

Looking at Lin Yi with terror, the bald man hurriedly blurted out, "I really don't know him! He called us up and said as long as we broke one of your bones, he'd pay one hundred thousand."

"Quite generous of him," Lin Yi sneered.

A normal person had two hundred and six bones. Breaking one for one hundred thousand meant breaking all of them would cost over twenty million.

No wonder these hoodlums dared to commit assault in broad daylight—truly, money makes the mare go.

"Big Brother, grievances are better settled than kept alive. You aren't even hurt; why don't we call it quits? We swear we'll never bother you again," the bald man pleaded through severe pain.

"Get lost."

Lin Yi waved his hand impatiently. Even if he gave these thugs ten more guts, they wouldn't dare approach him again.

Moreover, the crowd of onlookers was growing larger, and Lin Yi had no desire to court fame.

"Yes, yes, we're leaving right now," the bald man nodded frantically.

The slightest movement of his body sent an explosive sensation of pain through his chest.

"Is this guy the reincarnation of the Hegemonic King of Western Chu or something? His strength is terrifying," the bald man muttered internally before climbing into a van and fleeing with his underlings.

...

Hou Boming was lounging inside a five-star luxury presidential suite.

A gorgeous beauty was massaging his shoulders.

"Brother Ming, that Lin Yi is just a loser. Does he really know Wu Da?" the pretty woman asked.

"Hard to say. Whether he knows Wu Da or not, daring to provoke me, Hou Boming, is like an old longevity god eating arsenic—pure courted death," a cold flash crossed Hou Boming's eyes.

The Linda Group valued influence, and the Hou family naturally could not afford to offend Wu Da. But Lin Yi was a different story; a guy who crawled out of some small city dared to put on airs in front of aristocratic families like them?

Did he really think having Wu Da backing him made him lawless?

At that moment, the phone lying on the bed rang.

"Xiao Qin, check who's calling," Hou Boming said lazily, resting his head on Xiao Qin's lap.

"Oh."

Xiao Qin glanced at the screen and said, "Brother Ming, it's the boss of the Taotie Sect."

"Oh, looks like it's done." A trace of gratification flashed in Hou Boming's eyes; he could already picture Lin Yi beaten to the point of complete paralysis.