Chapter 130: Opening Bid of One Billion

Lin Yang did not let go upon hearing this, his voice calm. "I can give you face on other matters, but your daughter touched my bottom line. If I don't kill the chicken to warn the monkey, won't my future enemies all follow suit?"

Cheng Kuo gritted his teeth and said, "I have a five-hundred-year-old ganoderma that I have treasured, and I am willing to offer it to Grandmaster Lin as an apology."

This ganoderma was something Cheng Kuo had obtained with great difficulty; he treated it as a treasure, intending to use it to prolong his life when he grew older. But now, for the sake of his daughter's life, he had to bite the bullet and trade it for Cheng Wanqing's survival.

Hearing this, Lin Yang finally released his grip. "Fine, I will give you that much face, Old Cheng."

Cheng Wanqing's face was flushed red, and she coughed violently, gasping for fresh air. Bright red finger marks were visible on her neck, and she remained unable to recover from the terror of death for a long time.

"Many thanks, Grandmaster Lin," Cheng Kuo said, cupping his hands while suppressing the agony of parting with his treasure.

"Farewell." Lin Yang did not waste any more words. He walked over, opened the door, and said to Lin Yimo, "Let's go."

The members of the Lin family filed out of the room one after another, following Lin Yang out of the nightclub. Lin Yang wrapped an arm around Lin Yimo’s waist, his voice softening. "You were frightened, weren't you?"

Lin Yimo nodded, the swelling on her face still visible. Lin Yang gently stroked her cheek with one hand, using his innate internal energy to stimulate blood circulation and reduce the swelling. Soon, the finger marks on her face faded away.

"You suffered this unprovoked disaster because of me this time. I will compensate you," Lin Yang said apologetically.

Lin Yimo shook her head. "I don't want any compensation."

"Xiao Mo, Grandmaster Lin is being kind. Our family is in such a state right now that we need Grandmaster Lin's help to make a comeback," Lin Yuanzhi interjected quickly.

"Dad, this is all caused by your gambling. Lin Yang has already helped us a lot. Otherwise, would Wei Dagang’s people have let us go?" Lin Yimo frowned.

"Shut up. A daughter really is someone else's property once she grows up," Lin Yuanzhi scolded.

Lin Yang smiled faintly. "Fine, how do you want me to help?"

Lin Yuanzhi immediately began to talk at length about the company's operations. He made some sense, but the ultimate point was that he needed funds to get the company back on track.

"How much money do you want?" Lin Yang asked.

Lin Yuanzhi rubbed his hands together. "How about one billion? With this one billion, I can not only get the company back on track but also expand its scale and take it to the next level."

"Dad! Don't go too far!" Seeing Lin Yuanzhi open his mouth to ask for one billion, Lin Yimo realized he was asking for the moon and treating Lin Yang like a fool.

"Shut up!" Lin Yuanzhi glared at her and scolded her again. "Xiao Lin is with you, which makes him my son-in-law. We're family now. If I build the company up, it's good for him too. Besides, one billion might be an astronomical figure to others, but to Xiao Lin, what does it amount to?"

Unknowingly, Lin Yuanzhi had adopted the airs of a father-in-law, changing his address for Lin Yang from "Grandmaster Lin" to "Xiao Lin."

Lin Dehai, standing nearby, chimed in, "That's right, we'll be family soon. Consider this one billion as the bride price."

Lin Yimo felt incredibly embarrassed. She hadn't expected her grandfather and father to be so shameless, and she felt utterly ashamed in front of Lin Yang.

Lin Yang smiled faintly. "Uncle Lin, you overestimate me. I can't come up with one billion."

"How could you not? Even if you can't right now, with your current strength, wouldn't it be easy for you to get one billion?" Lin Yuanzhi retorted.

"Fine, then go back and wait. I'll give it to you once I have one billion," Lin Yang said.

"Alright! I knew you were a generous and capable man, Xiao Lin. My Xiao Mo truly found the right person. I'll go back and wait for your good news." Lin Yuanzhi grinned from ear to ear, leaving with Lin Dehai and Sun Hongxia.

Lin Yang got into the car with Lin Yimo. The front of the car was smashed, but it was still drivable.

"Lin Yang, you can't give my dad that much money. If you give him one billion this time, he'll ask for more next time," Lin Yimo warned him.

"You're not happy that I'm giving your dad money?" Lin Yang asked with an intrigued smile.

"You've already helped us too much. If I keep taking money from you, what would that make me? In short, you cannot give him this money," Lin Yimo insisted.

Lin Yang raised his hand and patted Lin Yimo’s head, laughing. "Do I look like a fool to you? If your dad had asked for a few tens of millions, I would have given it to him. But asking for one billion—that’s pure greed. I won't give him a single cent."

Hearing this, Lin Yimo finally felt relieved. She was genuinely worried that Lin Yang would grow to dislike her because of her father and grandfather's insatiable greed.

Lin Yang took Lin Yimo back to the Dihao Residence before calling Murong Yun to tell her the car had been crashed.

"Are you hurt?" Murong Yun asked.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry," Lin Yang replied.

"Alright, I'll send someone to bring you a car in a moment and take that one in for repairs. You don't need to worry about it." Murong Yun didn't chat much longer; she was in a meeting, having just dismissed Wang Jiaqian from his position as vice president and preparing to nominate someone else for the role.

Since Lin Yimo was shaken, Lin Yang decided to take some time to keep her company, taking her to Zixia Mountain to watch the sunset.

Reaching the highest point, Lin Yang held Lin Yimo’s waist and used his light-body technique to fly onto a protruding rock. Most people couldn't reach this spot, and it was also where Lin Yang practiced his martial arts in the mornings.

The view was wide and open, and in the distance, the sunset slowly descended. Lin Yimo leaned on Lin Yang’s shoulder, a look of happiness on her face.

"I really couldn't have imagined that even Cheng Kuo, one of the four great grandmasters, would become someone defeated by your hand." Having witnessed the battle between Lin Yang and Cheng Kuo, Lin Yimo was awestruck. Though she was not a martial artist, who wouldn't want their beloved to be an indomitable expert?

"Yes, who could have imagined it? Even I didn't expect it." Lin Yang couldn't help but reflect. A month ago, he had been locked in a dark, sunless basement, suffering abuse and torture, his life bleak and dim. It was his master, the Medicine Saint, who had cleared away the dark clouds and haze for him, allowing him to be reborn and changing his destiny.

Lin Yimo looked at Lin Yang with surprise, curious. "What exactly happened during those two years you disappeared?"

"Do you want to know?"

"I do." Lin Yimo nodded.

"I won't tell you." Lin Yang pinched Lin Yimo’s nose.

"You're annoying!" Lin Yimo scolded him playfully, but she was sensible enough not to press further.

Once the sun had fully set and night had begun to fall, Lin Yang and Lin Yimo leisurely walked down Zixia Mountain. That night, neither of them remained idle, battling until they were completely exhausted.

Early the next morning, Lin Yang rose on time to practice as usual. His battle with Cheng Kuo had been quite rewarding. Having defeated one of the four grandmasters of Luocheng, the next would be the second-ranked Jiang Haisheng.