As soon as Han Jinglun finished speaking, he regretted it. If Mu Hanyan impulsively ventured into that forbidden land, it was highly likely she would lose her life there. He should not have said so much.
"Donât worry, Old Sir Han, I wonât be taking any risks." Thankfully, Mu Hanyan didnât have the slightest intention of seeking death.
She had heard of those forbidden lands, and although she didnât know they were the boundaries between the fragments of various continents, she had heard of the dangers within them. A hidden cultivation expert she had met in her previous life had been gravely injured in one such forbidden place, and barely managed to escape with his life. However, his foundation was damaged, and he could no longer make any progress in his cultivation. Hence, he spent his days leisurely traveling and enjoying the scenery; to put it nicely, he was living out his years in comfort, but more bluntly, he was just waiting to die.
It was precisely for this reason that he had taken an interest in sharing so much with Mu Hanyan; otherwise, if he had been focused solely on his cultivation, he probably wouldnât have bothered to give her the time of day.
"Actually, there might be another way," Han Jinglun said, still slightly worried even though Mu Hanyan had declared she wouldnât take the risk. As he racked his brains looking for a solution, a glimmer of hope suddenly dawned on him.
"What way?" Of course, Mu Hanyan wasnât content to just let the auspicious beastâs only chance to crack out of its shell and be born slip away as it slowly exhausted its vitality. When she heard that there might still be a solution, her spirits immediately lifted.
"With this Spirit Talisman here, the Heaven and Earth Power of our Holy Court Continent is already pure enough. If we can find an object with the Heaven and Earth Power from other continents, that should also help the auspicious beast to hatch," Han Jinglun explained.
"Oh, I see," Mu Hanyan said, her initial enthusiasm deflating instantly.
According to her father, the Spirit Talisman on the auspicious beast egg had long since been lost to time. Had it not been for a chance encounter with Ling Baobao, a mysterious figure, she might have never seen one in her lifetime.
How easy could it be to find an object imbued with the spiritual energy of the Heaven and Earth Power from other continents? More importantly, even if such a precious item existed, it was unlikely to appear in the Holy Court Continent. If she had the ability to cross through the forbidden lands to other continents, she might as well hatch the auspicious beast there directly.
Wasnât this suggestion practically the same as no suggestion at all?
Seeing the change in Mu Hanyanâs expression, Han Jinglun knew his proposal, while sounding simple, was actually unfeasible; but he had no other optionsâthis was the best solution he could think of.
"All right, thereâs no rush for the moment; we can slowly consider other methods later. Ye Fengyun and the others have not returned yet, and we donât have to starve waiting for them. How about we arrange a feast first and eat while we wait?" Qu Shanling, worried that Mu Hanyan might overthink and rush to her doom in the forbidden lands, quickly changed the topic. While speaking, he also gave a meaningful glance to Mu Nan.
"Sure thing, Iâll go and instruct the cook to prepare a grand meal to welcome Brother Han Yan and Old Sir Han," Mu Nan acknowledged the hint, immediately catching onto his intention.
"You two donât have to worry about me; I wonât do anything foolish," Mu Hanyan couldnât help but chuckle as she saw their exchange.
Even if not for her own sake, but for her family and for the friends who silently cared for her, she wouldnât gamble with her life.
Mu Nan gave the order, and very soon, the dishes were served on the table, much quicker than Mu Hanyan had expected.
None of those present were strangers, so there was no need for formalities. Besides, they were all a bit hungry, so they began to eat heartily with their chopsticks.
"Hmm, the flavor is good, a new chef?" Mu Hanyan had eaten only a few bites before he couldnât help but compliment, the dishes that were complete in color, aroma, and taste were definitely a few notches above those of many big restaurant chefs.
"We made them ourselves." Qu Shanlingâs two prized disciples said with pride.
"Not becoming chefs would truly be a waste," Mu Hanyan thought again of Mu Chengâs favorite roast pork leg, and, coupled with this table of delicious food, praised sincerely.
"Actually, we initially wanted to be tailors, but felt that being Star Divination Masters would be more lucrative, so we followed our master and learned Star Divination Skill. Seeing that our master needed to restore his health, we also specifically learned some cooking skills. Unexpectedly, we seem to have a bit of a talent for it. However, compared to that, we still prefer Star Divination Skill more." The two were a little embarrassed by the compliment, and they spoke timidly.
"Well, it doesnât matter, being Star Divination Masters is also not bad, âa Star Divination Master who doesnât want to be a tailor is not a good chefâ after all," Mu Hanyan said earnestly.
The response from the disciples was a look of bewilderment.
As the wine reached halfway, Mu Hanyan remembered the matter entrusted to him by Han Jinglun and told Mu Nan about it in detail.
Mu Nan, of course, wouldnât refuse and immediately called several trusted people to secretly look for the whereabouts of Han Jinglunâs wife and child.
Impressed with Han Jinglunâs Eye Power and experience, Mu Nan eagerly invited him to join the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce.
Han Jinglun was already endlessly grateful to Mu Hanyan, and now that he had to ask something of both Mu Hanyan and Mu Cheng, combined with the fact that the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce was newly established but already doing quite impressively, he couldnât help but be stirred with his old sense of ambition and agreed without hesitation.
Speaking of which, although the Han Family was known to the world by the name of the Tianji Family, its foundation was still in commerce. Seeing that Han Jinglun accepted his request, Mu Nan was overjoyed, frequently urging more drinks during the feast, making the welcoming banquet even more delightful and enjoyable for all.
Meanwhile, Ye Fengyun and others, having had their fill of food and drink, left the restaurant and walked towards the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce.
"Weâve been eating for more than two hours, I wonder how that bunch from the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce is doing now?" a Chamber of Commerce president said, picking his teeth with a sly smile.
"Do we even need to say it? They must be burning with anxiety by now. Those strange flowers and herbs that even we canât identify, if they can tell them apart, thatâd be the real surprise," said another person with ill intentions.
"Itâs also thanks to Young Master Yeâs intervention. If it were us, even if we wanted to deal with the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, it wouldnât be easy to make a move right away," another said obsequiously.
"Exactly, itâs also thanks to Young Master Ye. Once weâve brought down the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, weâll need to properly thank Young Master Ye."
"Actually, I didnât intentionally set out to oppose the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, itâs just that Mu Hanyan has a notorious reputation and a low character. I fear that Master, through too close association with the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, would one day taint his lifelong integrity at their hands, and so we had no choice but to think of a way to sever ties with them as early as possible," Ye Fengyun stated arrogantly.
In his position, he didnât want to deal with such vulgar people, but to deal with Mu Hanyan, he had to pretend and play the snake. Yet in his heart, he despised them.
"Indeed, Mu Hanyan, relying on the status of the City Lordâs son, has committed all sorts of misdeeds, and the Nanyan Chamber of Commerce, puffing itself up through false pretenses, disregards the rules. If we allow them to continue unchecked, they will eventually bring about a great disaster. What Young Master Ye is doing is also for the good of the people," said those Chamber of Commerce presidents, perceiving Ye Fengyunâs contempt. Yet they were not angered but continued their sycophantic flattery.