Chapter Six: Forceful Victory

The entire venue was silent—deathly silent. No one had expected this turn of events; everyone was stunned.

What… what was happening here?

Although Zhang Baole was the deputy general manager from the provincial capital and the younger brother of the second aunt, his aptitude for cultivation was mediocre. He had only barely reached the Foundation Establishment stage in the Heart of the Lute realm with the help of countless pills, and even now, at nearly forty, he was only at the fourth level of that stage.

With no combat experience whatsoever and utterly unprepared, he was sent flying by Lin Qingyun’s heavy slap.

Click, click, click…

At this moment, it was the reporters who reacted the fastest. Although they had been filming all along, as Lin Qingyun’s slap landed, they scrambled to capture every detail, every expression.

They were after the hottest scoop. But the one truly delighted and excited was none other than Li Xiaobo in the back, whose anger just moments ago had nearly overwhelmed him. Now, his fists clenched in exhilaration.

He imagined: if only he could send that guy flying with a slap himself—how satisfying, how cathartic that would be.

A good hit, a satisfying hit.

“Security, please restrain yourself, sir…” Zhang Heng finally came to his senses.

Crash—Zhang Baole landed heavily on a chair, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with several teeth.

Lin Qingyun had not held back, but since it wasn’t a full-on attack, and Zhang Baole was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator, after coughing up a few mouthfuls of blood and teeth, he leapt up, furious, and pointed a trembling finger at Lin Qingyun.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You actually dared to hit me? Do you even know what you’re doing? I’m your elder! Do you know where you are? Is this a place for you to run wild? You come with me now! I swear I’ll settle this score! Someone—seize him and bring him back with us…” Zhang Baole was nearly hysterical with rage.

That orphaned wretch actually dared to act so brazenly with him, even dared to strike him.

Insane, utterly insane.

If not for the many media present, Zhang Baole would have had his people deal with Lin Qingyun right then and there.

But he had already decided: once they took him away, he would show him no mercy. Damn bastard, to dare strike him in public.

Who did he think he was, still the young prince of the Lin Group?

Though Zhang Baole was lacking himself, he was accompanied by two ninth-level Foundation Establishment bodyguards. The two immediately stepped forward to seize Lin Qingyun.

“Are you members of the Lin Group? I am the largest shareholder of the Lin Group. If you’re from the Lin Group, laying hands on me is mutiny. If you’re not, then you are enemies of the Lin Group.” Lin Qingyun finally spoke, his cold gaze sweeping over the bodyguards, who froze mid-step.

Given Zhang Baole’s stingy nature, there was no way he’d pay for those bodyguards himself—they were salaried from a branch office, official employees of the Lin Group, trained by the company.

“I now formally announce, as the largest shareholder, heir to Lin Pharmaceutical Group, and director of the Lin Group, that Zhang Baole is hereby dismissed as deputy general manager of the branch office. Zhang Baole is guilty of embezzlement, dereliction of duty, and colluding with rivals to betray the interests of the Group. I will personally oversee the auction from here. The auction may proceed.” Lin Qingyun had lived two lifetimes, the previous one spent in authority—he knew perfectly well how to handle such a situation.

He had no intention of being gentle; his directness served a purpose.

For now, his aim was to vent his anger at Zhang Baole, lay the groundwork for removing him, win over Li Xiaobo, and pave the way for confronting his uncle and aunt later.

“What right do you have to dismiss me? My appointment was from the Group—” Zhang Baole was unafraid at Lin Qingyun’s threat, bellowing as he pulled out his phone to contact his sister.

Now, his sister and brother-in-law controlled the Lin Group, and Lin Qingyun held no official position; he had no authority to dismiss Zhang Baole.

“North America 9610…” Lin Qingyun made no further move against Zhang Baole, knowing there would be plenty of opportunities later. It was time to let the auction continue.

As Zhang Baole ranted that Lin Qingyun had no authority, Lin Qingyun strode forward, and as he passed by, he uttered an account number.

It was one of Zhang Baole’s many overseas accounts, the one he used to receive kickbacks from Ivy Medical Group.

Zhang Baole’s hand, poised to call his sister Zhang Xueyi, froze mid-air, his mouth bloody, his face haggard, his eyes filled with terror.

How… how could he know?

“From this moment on, I will represent Lin Pharmaceutical Group. I trust Deputy General Manager Zhang has no objections. The auction may continue…” Lin Qingyun, having passed by, looked to Zhang Heng and signaled him to proceed.

“Director Zhang, your Lin Pharmaceutical Group…” Zhang Heng cared little for internal Lin affairs. Though the preceding scene had been dramatic, he preferred the auction to continue—competition between two giants was always good for business.

He glanced at Zhang Baole for confirmation.

Zhang Baole dearly wanted to shout at Lin Qingyun to get lost—what right did this brat have to represent the Lin family? But now he dared not say a word.

If this kid exposed more in public, he would be finished—even his sister couldn’t save him.

He had to suppress this for now; everything else could wait. At worst, he would apologize to his sister and brother-in-law later…

“Young Master Lin… is the major shareholder… he can represent the Lin family…” Zhang Baole, blood dribbling from his lips, gave an unwilling but necessary confirmation.

“Lin Pharmaceutical Group, one hundred million and one hundred thousand, first call…” With Zhang Baole’s confirmation, Zhang Heng immediately resumed the auction, drawing everyone’s attention back to the proceedings.

All the while, Quanshui (Springwater) had been watching intently. He had been staring down Zhang Baole, but now that he had surrendered, Quanshui sneered inwardly. He’d had secret dealings with Zhang Baole before, but such matters could never be aired in public; he’d have to settle the score with Zhang Baole later.

“One hundred and ten million.” This time, Quanshui was determined to win. He had previously sent Li Xiaobo’s Foundation Establishment Pill formula to a senior alchemist at Ivy Medical Group, who had given it the highest praise and strongly recommended that Quanshui recruit Li Xiaobo.

After thorough investigation, Quanshui believed Li Xiaobo’s future was limitless. Now, needing to deliver results, he was determined to spend heavily to secure the pill formula and tie Li Xiaobo to the company.

“One hundred and eleven million.” No sooner had Quanshui called his price than Lin Qingyun unhesitatingly raised the bid.

Click, click, click, click…

At that moment, every camera was focused on Lin Qingyun. The media, as if on stimulants, were beside themselves with excitement.

Not to mention Lin Qingyun had just slapped Zhang Baole and taken charge as Lin Group’s representative—his calm presence at the auction was nothing like a child’s. He was composed, unshaken by the drama that had just unfolded, his resolve astonishing.

Quanshui was surprised as well, casting a searching glance at Lin Qingyun, wondering what his true motive was—was it just for show, or had he also realized Li Xiaobo’s worth?

“One hundred and fifty million,” Quanshui announced, drawing a deep breath.

“One hundred and fifty-one million,” Lin Qingyun replied without pause, making it clear he would always outbid by one hundred thousand, no matter how high the price went.

Zhang Heng began to stir the crowd, calling out the bid for the first time, his gaze fixed on Quanshui…

Quanshui, however, kept his eyes on Lin Qingyun, desperate to discern his purpose—was it for pride, or did he truly understand Li Xiaobo’s value?

“One hundred and sixty million,” Quanshui called, inhaling slowly.

“One hundred and sixty-one million.” Before Zhang Heng could even announce Quanshui’s bid, Lin Qingyun was already there with the next offer.

On the global stage, Ivy Group’s overall strength far surpassed Lin Pharmaceutical Group—it was three times as big. Ivy Group was vying for the second spot worldwide, while Lin Pharmaceutical Group was only in the top ten. But that was in terms of overall metrics; this auction was another matter.

Now, however, Quanshui was feeling the pressure. He whipped out his phone and began quickly messaging his higher-ups for greater authorization.

“One hundred and sixty-one million, second call…” Zhang Heng drew out his words, deliberately giving Quanshui time.

But Lin Qingyun was in no rush and made no move to press Zhang Heng.

Everyone was simply acting in their own best interests—there was nothing unusual in that.

“Two hundred million.” At that moment, clearly having received further authorization, Quanshui called out two hundred million, his gaze fixed squarely on Lin Qingyun. For a Foundation Establishment Pill formula, this price was astronomical.

After all, it was a low-level formula, albeit highly sought after; there were many varieties on the market, and better ones too.

This was the final limit set by his superiors. Now he would see…

“Two hundred million and one hundred thousand.” Before anyone could even react to the shocking price, before Quanshui could say another word, Lin Qingyun, unwavering, raised the bid again.

Seeing Lin Qingyun’s relentless increase, Quanshui finally gave up—there was nothing more he could do.

Zhang Heng called out the bid excitedly, but this time, Quanshui didn’t raise again, nor did he try for greater authorization; he was already preparing his backup plan.

“Two hundred million and one hundred thousand, third call—sold!”

As Zhang Heng brought down the gavel, the reporters could no longer contain themselves. They surged forward, their cameras clicking furiously, bombarding Lin Qingyun with questions.

They were no strangers to grand occasions—land deals, antiquities, shareholder meetings, pill and artifact auctions, they’d seen bigger numbers than this.

But today was different. No one had expected a pill formula, which they’d thought would top off in the tens of millions, to sell for two hundred million. But more importantly, the Lin family’s young heir had stormed in by slapping Zhang Baole, taken control of the Lin Pharmaceutical Group’s bidding, and secured Li Xiaobo’s Foundation Establishment Pill formula for two hundred million—there was simply too much to talk about.