Chapter 15: The Powerful Cai Family

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Zhou Chen was still calculating in his mind how to skillfully bargain. The shop owner, who was playing Honor of Kings, saw Zhou Chen staring at the Pisces pendant and casually said, "If you like it, take it for 100 yuan."

Alright then.

Zhou Chen had been fooled by the street vendor before, who had priced an antique at over ten million. The shop owner, seeing that Zhou Chen was young and dressed plainly, had no patience to haggle or ask for an exorbitant price.

This Pisces pendant had been in the store for an unknown length of time. The owner always found it an eyesore and was about to throw it away. Now that someone wanted to buy it, all the better.

Zhou Chen paid 100 yuan and walked out of the shop with the Pisces pendant. He took a taxi back home.

At this moment, Zhou Chen had no spiritual power within him, so he could only place the Pisces pendant on his forehead and, with his soul at the eighth level of Qi Refining, correct and reshape the damaged runes inside the pendant.

This process was simple, as the memories were already in his mind.

The inheritance of ancient Qi Refiners included memories related to refining pills, setting formations, making talismans, and forging artifacts.

The runes contained in the Pisces pendant were patterns used in artifact forging.

The runes were very low level, so even without prior experience, Zhou Chen found it easy to correct and reshape them.

Soon, the originally broken runes inside the pendant became smaller in size but far more intricate and profound after the correction and reshaping.

In fact, the power of this Pisces pendant not only did not weaken after the second engraving but grew even stronger.

However, there was a major flaw.

The spiritual energy contained in this mid-grade spirit stone was almost depleted, with less than one-tenth remaining; it could only be activated three times at most.

Moreover, these three activations could only withstand impacts equivalent to a truck collision.

If the attack exceeded that level, activation would reduce to two times or even once.

Zhou Chen was not satisfied.

If the spirit stone held sufficient spiritual energy and he had spiritual power himself, even withstanding a high-speed train collision would be effortless.

After all, ancient Qi Refiners were terrifying beings who could move mountains and fill seas, even pluck stars and moon from the sky!

Modern nuclear weapons, no matter how powerful, would be but fleeting fireworks before an ancient Qi Refiner.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment and decided to give this Pisces pendant as a birthday gift to Cai Yaming.

He was confident that in the future he would obtain more suitable vessels for engraving runes, or even forge true magical treasures to protect his family.

A low-level treasure that could only be used three times was not worth much to him.

At worst, after enrolling in university in the capital, he could visit the antique street there, where gains would surely surpass today’s, enabling him to pick up rare treasures or cultivation resources from street vendors.

...

Zhou Chen had never been to Cai Yaming’s home but knew it must be luxurious.

When he took a taxi to the location sent by Cai Yaming on QQ, he realized what true luxury meant.

Cai Yaming’s home was not just a villa but an entire estate.

At the gate stood not only bodyguards but also maids.

The bodyguards were armed, and the maids wore black stockings.

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Zhou Chen had always known Cai Yaming’s family was rich, but his concept of "rich" was vague.

Was this really just rich?

Cai’s family in Xiangnan Province was probably close to the top, if not the overlord family.

Using the Soul-Devouring Worm’s soul-sharing eye, Zhou Chen even spotted numerous armed guards hidden in corners of the estate.

Families like this were not only wealthy but likely wielded significant political and military influence.

“Hello, I’m here to attend Cai Yaming’s birthday banquet.” Faced with such a grand occasion, Zhou Chen showed no sign of intimidation.

In his eyes, he would soon transcend all worldly matters to become an overwhelmingly powerful cultivator above mortals.

“Please show your invitation!” The maid smiled sweetly.

Zhou Chen frowned slightly. “Invitation? I don’t have one.”

Cai Yaming hadn’t told him anything about an invitation!

Meanwhile, inside the city hospital, Zhou Xiang was undergoing major surgery in the operating room.

The five invitations sent by the Cai family still lay on Zhou Xiang’s desk.

Since Zhou Chen had no invitation, the maid stepped back, and the bodyguard came forward to block his path.

In fact, there had been a rich second-generation youth before who tried to attend Cai Yaming’s birthday party without an invitation.

He was also a student at the city’s top high school and a suitor of Cai Yaming.

So naturally, the bodyguards would not be polite to someone like Zhou Chen who claimed to be Cai Yaming’s classmate but had no invitation.

Zhou Chen was actually quite pleased; this gave him a good reason to deliver the gift and leave directly.

Regardless of the reason, since the invitation never reached him, Zhou Chen had a fitting excuse not to attend Cai Yaming’s birthday banquet.

“I really am Cai Yaming’s classmate, and this is her birthday gift. Since I don’t have an invitation, I won’t attend. Just passing along the gift is fine.”

With that, Zhou Chen took out a modest gift box.

On the way here, he had spent some money at the jewelry store to add a cord to the Pisces pendant and wrap it nicely.

The bodyguard, seeing that Zhou Chen did not insist on entering the party, checked the gift, confirmed it was fine, and took it.

“Alright, I will deliver this to Miss Yaming.”

Just as Zhou Chen turned to leave, a familiar voice called out.

“Zhou Chen!”

Reluctantly, Zhou Chen turned around.

Cai Yaming stepped out from the gate, her expression still cold but with a trace of joy now.

It was nearly 6 pm.

As the host, she should have been at the banquet hall.

But Zhou Chen’s delay made her increasingly anxious.

So she came to the gate to wait and happened to see Zhou Chen turning to leave.

“Where are you going?”

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Zhou Chen answered truthfully, “I didn’t receive an invitation.”

Cai Yaming looked puzzled. “That’s impossible. I had someone deliver five invitations to your family.”

The bodyguards and maids also looked surprised.

Given the Cai family’s status in Xiangnan Province, even the richest family in Baoqing City had only received one invitation.

Who was this young man, that his family received five invitations?

Although one invitation allowed a whole family to attend, sending five invitations at once showed how much the Cai family valued his family.

“Maybe my dad was busy today and forgot about it.”

Cai Yaming didn’t want to dwell on the matter and urged, “The birthday banquet is about to start. Let’s hurry!”

“Here’s your gift!” The bodyguard quickly returned the Pisces pendant to Zhou Chen.

Cai Yaming glanced at it but paid it little mind.

With Zhou Chen’s family’s financial status, the gift couldn’t be valuable.

Besides, she was indifferent to expensive gifts, having been exposed to them since childhood — none held any novelty.

As a prestigious family in Jiangnan Province, many young masters and ladies attended Cai Yaming’s birthday banquet.

Their elders also used the occasion to expand social networks.

Zhou Chen didn’t think the event was very high-class; instead, he felt sorry for Cai Yaming.

A birthday party filled with worldly affairs and exchanges of favors, devoid of joy.

It was uncomfortable, saturated with comparison.

With his keen hearing, Zhou Chen overheard many young masters competing over the value of birthday gifts for Cai Yaming.

“Brother Chen, as the son of Baoqing City’s richest family, do you know what gift he’s giving Yaming this year?”

A sycophant chimed, “Last year, Brother Chen gave Yaming a supercar worth tens of millions. This year’s gift will surely amaze us!”

The so-called Brother Chen was a dashing young man.

Though he enjoyed the flattery from his entourage, he wore an indifferent facade.

“Nothing special, just some small money.”

This year’s gift was indeed more valuable, but he didn’t have to pay for it.

His parents wanted him to be with Cai Yaming since marrying her meant the Chen family would advance further in Xiangnan Province.

“Heh, such a cheap birthday gift. The Chen family only knows how to throw money around.”

A young man in a shirt and tie sneered, “I heard the car you gave Yaming is just gathering dust in the garage.”

Cai Yaming’s suitors were not limited to these two; there were others from within and outside the province, including second-generation officials and wealthy heirs.

A wealthy young lady sarcastically remarked, “What’s the use of arguing here? The Yaming you all obsess over is walking around with some country bumpkin!”