He Yiming's eyes swept around, and he couldn't help a secret smile; among the brothers sharing his table, only his Second Brother, Yi Hai, was present. As for the Eldest Brother and Third Brother, they had vanished somewhere unknown.

Seeing Yiming, He Yihai laughed and chastised him good-naturedly, "Sixth Brother, how long were you gone? Hurry up and get over here."

He Yiming responded, taking his seat, and asked, "Second Brother, where are Eldest Brother and Third Brother?"

"Same as you," He Yihai replied, a touch of annoyance in his voice, "The activities the Cheng family prepared in the front must have been fun, right?"

He Yiming paused slightly. When he had stepped out, he had noticed the front and side halls of the Cheng residence brightly lit and teeming with voices. Yet, on a strange impulse, he hadn't gone there, instead stumbling upon that small path and uncovering the matter of the Xu family traitor.

Now, hearing his Second Brother’s question, he realized that the area was actually where the Cheng family had deliberately arranged various amusements.

With a faint smile, He Yiming said nothing, merely giving a slight nod. He hadn't visited that area; who knew if it was fun or not. Since saying more might lead to mistakes, silence seemed the better part.

He Yihai stood up. "Sixth Brother, since you’re back, you hold the fort here. I'm going to check out the fun now."

Watching his Second Brother happily depart, He Yiming felt a wry bitterness in his heart. However, he currently had no inclination for revelry. Instead, he sat silently at the table, watching the actors perform before the main hall.

Though his mind was elsewhere, wishing this damned banquet would end soon, he dared not cause any stir. He maintained a somewhat strained smile, remaining perfectly still, like a mud Buddha.

Suddenly, a servant from the Cheng residence rushed in from outside. His face alight with surprise, he approached the main dais and whispered a few words softly.

Old Master Cheng Ningsheng, seated at the very center of the dais, abruptly stood up. He spoke a sentence to those around him, and instantly, everyone rose, surrounding the Old Master as they proceeded outside.

Their group was the focal point of the entire birthday celebration. Once they stood, all eyes turned toward them, and even the performance on the specially erected stage before the main hall paused at a signal from a Cheng servant.

He Yiming looked with surprise towards his Eldest Uncle and father as they left with the crowd, noting a hint of shock in their eyes as well.

A moment later, He Yitian and the other two returned, their faces bearing the same gravity.

He Yiming whispered, "Eldest Brother, what happened?"

His mind was preoccupied with the body of the black-clad man, and he nearly assumed the corpse had been discovered. But then he dismissed the thought; the house where he hid the body was hundreds of meters away, and it was the Cheng family's day of great joy. Even if it were found, it wouldn't cause the Old Master to be alerted at this moment.

He Yitian turned his head. "Yiming, people from the Lin family of Linlang County have arrived to offer congratulations."

"The Lin family?" He Yiming's expression shifted slightly. Though he lived in Taicang County and had never visited Linlang County, the name Lin Family was known to him like thunder.

The Lin family was a super-eminent clan passed down for over a thousand years. Its ancient history and profound foundation surpassed even the entire Taicang County.

After all, Taicang County, due to its remote location, only began to flourish three centuries ago, and even after traversing two dynasties, its history spanned only just over three hundred years.

The He, Xu, and Cheng families could be considered the local overlords of Taicang County, but compared to the great noble families of Linlang County, they were but mere minnows before whales, possessing no right to be compared.

"They’ve come to wish the Cheng family a happy birthday? Surely they haven't made a mistake," He Yiming asked instinctively.

Given the Lin family's status, they shouldn't have any ties with any minor gentry in Taicang County.

He Yitian let out a cold snort. "Cheng Jiahui has two daughters. The elder married into the Lin family of Linlang two years ago; rumor has it she is quite favored."

"The Lin family actually took a daughter of the Cheng family in marriage?" He Yiming’s face was filled with disbelief.

He Yitian slowly shook his head. "Not as the principal wife; as a concubine."

He Yiming then understood. If it weren't the case, given the Lin family's standing, they likely wouldn't have accepted a Cheng family daughter into their gates otherwise.

But since the Lin family was willing to travel the great distance from Linlang County to offer birthday wishes, it suggested the Cheng family daughter was considerably favored, and the man she married held a high position within the Lin family; otherwise, they wouldn't have come today.

Not long after, a party entered the hall amid cheerful conversation.

However, the person now leading the group was no longer Old Master Cheng, but a man appearing to be in his mid-thirties.

This man was clad in a well-tailored brocade robe that didn't seem overly luxurious, yet it exuded an inherent air of nobility when worn by him. As he moved, his gaze was striking, constantly projecting the powerful confidence held within his heart.

Following him, besides the few initially at the head table, were four guards.

The fact that he still brought guards in this setting indicated his status was extraordinary. Nevertheless, considering the disparity between the two families' statuses, even if the Lin family had sent a mere dog, the Cheng family likely wouldn't dare obstruct these guards.

Of course, judging by this man's commanding and vigorous bearing, he could not possibly be just a dog kept by the Lin family.

He Yitian murmured, "Those guards must be the Lin family's exclusive guard contingent. I heard that to join the guard, one needs a cultivation level of at least Inner Strength Seventh Layer."

He Yiming and the others exchanged glances. A family's guard contingent composed entirely of cultivators at the Seventh Layer or above—this was an utterly staggering fact. At least in Taicang County, such a thing was unthinkable.

If the He family's retainers managed to reach the Third Layer of Inner Strength, that would already be remarkable. Seventh Layer Inner Strength guards were an impossibly distant dream for them.

Soon, Old Master Cheng and the others ushered this man to the seat of honor, and the remnants of food and cold dishes on the table were swiftly cleared away to be replaced.

At this moment, aside from the discussions at their table, everyone else in the hall watched silently. The reputation of the Lin Family of Linlang was simply too immense, enough to shock everyone present.

After seating the man at the head position, Old Master Cheng, his face beaming with pride, proclaimed loudly, "Esteemed guests, this is Young Master Lin Haori from the Lin family of Linlang. Young Master Lin heard of this humble old man's birthday and specifically came to offer congratulations; this fills this old man with undeserved honor."

The crowd in the hall let out a chorus of praises, their gazes toward Young Master Lin filled with ardent admiration.

For the majority present, merely being qualified to share a table with Young Master Lin was an enormous honor.

But this wasn't everyone's sentiment. Whether it was the younger generation of the He family or the younger members of the Xu family further away, their eyes shone with an unusual light. However, in such a setting, no fool would jump out to cause trouble.

Lin Haori stood up calmly. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the faces of everyone in the hall. Then, he cupped his hands toward Cheng Ningsheng. "Old Master, I have been ordered by the Family Head to extend congratulations on your eightieth birthday, wishing you boundless fortune..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by countless cries of "Well said!"

This was a peculiar custom unique to Taicang County: the more people shouted approval, the more prestige the speaker gained. But Lin Haori was clearly unaccustomed to it. After a slight pause of surprise, he immediately lost interest in continuing.

Old Master Cheng and the others noticed the anomaly but could only offer wry smiles inwardly, unable to fault the zealous guests below.

Lin Haori waved his hand, and a guard respectfully presented a large, bright red wooden casket.

"Old Master, this is the birthday gift the Family Head ordered me to bring. Please accept it," Lin Haori said with an arrogant smile.

With his status and qualifications, he naturally could act this way, and Old Master Cheng, far from taking offense, accepted it readily. With a smile plastered on his face, he took the red box. "Many thanks to the Family Head. This old man truly feels unworthy."

As he spoke, his gaze swept around the hall, his eyes holding an unspeakable smugness. From this day forward, since the Cheng family had hitched itself to this towering tree of the Lin family, their prestige would naturally soar, no longer inferior to the He or Xu families.

At Lin Haori's silent indication, he placed the red casket on the table and slowly opened it.

Inside this long box lay a ginseng root nearly a foot long. What was even more startling was that this ginseng was entirely blood-red, shaped like a small child, complete with hair and roots, resembling a small old man covered in wrinkles.

The complexions of those at the main table changed drastically. One person exclaimed in shock, "Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng?"

Lin Haori’s eyes held a trace of arrogance. He stated calmly, "Correct. It is precisely the Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng."

Old Master Cheng, a mixture of surprise and joy in his eyes, quickly closed the red box and immediately handed it over to Cheng Jiahui, the Cheng family's eldest son. Cheng Jiahui understood instantly and took the item away.

Although their action deviated from etiquette, no one accused them at this moment; nearly everyone harbored the same thought. If they were in the same position, they would likely hide it even faster.

Old Master Cheng even felt immense regret in his heart. If he had known such a treasure was inside, he shouldn't have displayed it publicly just now.

Lin Haori blinked inexplicably. He was rather dismissive of Old Master Cheng's conduct, but being a guest, he couldn't say much, only sighing inwardly: people from small places are just people from small places; a single Thousand-Year Blood Ginseng can render them so flustered.

In his mind, he lowered his estimation of everyone in Taicang County even further.

Ps: Ugh... To be first in the Weekly Points and New Book Rankings, I could hope, but to be first in Weekly Recommendations too—Bai He is incredibly grateful. Although this might be because the Grand Masters haven't exerted themselves yet, and I might lose this position soon, Bai He still allows himself a small moment of secret delight.