Xiao He pulled Zhang Yang all the way out to the restaurant lobby. The displeased Lightning immediately leaped into Long Feng's arms and continued sleeping there; after everything they had been through, the relationship between Lightning and Long Feng was now exceptionally harmonious.

This hotel only had one main building, with the restaurant occupying the second and third floors; Zhang Yang and the others were on the third floor, which featured a rather large hall, typically reserved for hosting wedding banquets. At this moment, the grand dining hall was almost completely full, and everyone present was young.

Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be gathering for a meal or perhaps attending some kind of event. With so many people, the atmosphere was naturally lively, and on the central stage, two very large speakers were blaring music.

Hearing the songs being played, Zhang Yang and the others finally understood that the noise they had heard earlier was emanating from here; with such powerful, high-decibel speakers, it was no wonder the sound penetrated the walls so clearly. "Zhang Yang, come, this way!" Xiao He tugged Zhang Yang along, smiling, and they walked deeper inside until they reached a table.

Seven or eight people were seated at this table, and Xiao He lightly tapped a girl on the back. "Li Juan, look who I brought!" When the girl turned around, Xiao He immediately said to her, his smile growing even wider.

This girl was about 1.6 meters tall and wore a pristine white gown, resembling a pure and delicate white lily, giving off an aura of innocence and charm. The girl turned back, first smiling at Xiao He, and then looking at Zhang Yang beside him with a touch of surprise.

With just one glance, the girl froze, her eyes widening considerably. "Z-Zhang Yang?" The girl called out uncertainly, and as Zhang Yang looked at her, a name suddenly flashed through his mind.

Ren Lijuan, his high school classmate; they had been together for all three years of high school. Ren Lijuan had been the most beautiful girl in the class, pursued by many boys, including Xiao He.

However, Zhang Yang recalled that she seemed not to have accepted any of them, ultimately striving hard to get into university. In his hazy memory, Zhang Yang seemed to remember her getting into a university in the capital city, though he couldn't recall the specific school.

Regardless of the university, she should be in the capital now; how she and Xiao He ended up in remote Xizhou made Zhang Yang feel a bit puzzled. "That’s right, our esteemed Class Monitor Zhang, I truly didn't expect to run into him here!" Xiao He exclaimed excitedly.

Ren Lijuan kept gazing at Zhang Yang, a few peculiar glints flashing in her eyes, then said nothing more. "What Class Monitor, that’s all in the past.

How are you two here?" Zhang Yang smiled, shaking his head, finally voicing the doubt in his heart. Two students attending different universities in the capital appearing together in a city in northern Hubei felt inherently strange to Zhang Yang.

"It’s like this: it’s Li Juan’s cousin getting married, and she specifically came back to celebrate. I happened to have free time from my internship, so I came along!" Xiao He explained with a smile, while Ren Lijuan nodded beside him, adding a few more details.

Ren Lijuan’s cousin was only a year older than her and was also a student; she was preparing to marry right after graduation, and tomorrow was the wedding day. Ren Lijuan's cousin attended school in Xizhou, and the man she was marrying was also from Xizhou.

Her cousin came from a well-off family, her father owning several mining claims, and the family of her fiancé was also quite affluent—both families were prominent merchant houses, so the wedding celebration naturally wouldn't be modest. The day before the wedding, they had invited all their relevant classmates to celebrate here first.

Since the two attended the same school, they had quite a few classmates, so several hundred people showed up at once. Ren Lijuan, being a relative but also a student, was pulled along to celebrate with them.

"See, over there are my cousin and my cousin-in-law!" Ren Lijuan stretched out her hand, pointing towards a table at the very front. The celebration was already halfway through, and they had started eating and drinking; the noise Zhang Yang heard earlier was when their celebration had just begun.

At the table Ren Lijuan pointed to, there was a young couple dressed in a white wedding gown and a sharp suit. They had just stood up, looking as if they intended to go around making toasts.

The couple looked very well-matched, a true union of excellence. Looking at them, Zhang Yang suddenly wondered if he and Mi Xue would be like this when they married.

Booking an entire hotel to invite classmates would naturally not be an issue; Zhang Yang certainly had the means for that. "Oh right, Zhang Yang, why are you here?" After pointing out her cousin and cousin-in-law, Ren Lijuan followed up with the question.

Xiao He immediately looked at Zhang Yang; he had wanted to ask that earlier but hadn't found the right moment. He knew Zhang Yang was admitted to Changjing University and was currently still a student.

This place was Xizhou, so Zhang Yang shouldn't be here either; their thoughts were much the same as Zhang Yang's. "I'm out with friends on some business and just passing through here.

We're staying one night and leaving tomorrow!" Zhang Yang smiled faintly, offering a brief explanation without going into detail. The Long family was a reclusive clan, and matters concerning internal energy practitioners were not things he could explain to these ordinary classmates.

"Just passing through? That’s quite a coincidence.

We absolutely must go out for a drink later! Old classmates, it’s been so long; running into each other here is truly rare!" Xiao He said cheerfully, while Ren Lijuan looked at Zhang Yang and nodded softly.

They had specifically come for the wedding and wouldn't be staying long; Zhang Yang was only passing through. For them to meet under these circumstances was indeed fate.

"Everyone, I apologize for the inadequate hosting today; please bear with us." As they were talking, Ren Lijuan's cousin and cousin-in-law arrived at their table, holding hands. The groom was holding a wine glass with a small amount of wine in it—a gesture of goodwill.

His face was flushed, suggesting he had already had quite a bit to drink. Most of the young people here had mediocre drinking capacities; after all, they were students, some graduated, some not yet.

Among students, very few had high alcohol tolerance; that was usually developed after entering the workforce. Everyone at the table stood up.

Ren Lijuan quickly gestured for Zhang Yang and Long Feng to come to the table. Their table wasn't completely full, and they could squeeze in, but they had just finished eating and drinking, so they really couldn't eat more at the moment.

"Long Feng, you guys go back first. I ran into old classmates and need to stay a while longer!" After some thought, Zhang Yang quietly said to Long Feng.

He knew he wouldn't be able to leave now, and since Long Feng wasn't very familiar with them, it was better if they left first. "It's fine, stay and enjoy the excitement!" Long Feng replied with a slight smile, stepping to stand beside Zhang Yang, right in front of the table.

Seeing Long Feng stay, Long Cheng, who was about to agree to leave, had no choice but to stay as well. The three of them remained standing there.

Long Feng was fine, but Long Cheng clearly looked much older. Ren Lijuan’s cousin-in-law glanced at Long Cheng a few extra times before Ren Lijuan quietly explained, and he understood.

"Guests who travel far are honored guests, and meeting is fate. I never expected that you classmates, who haven't seen each other for years, would meet here.

Come, let’s toast!" The groom poured another glass of wine specifically for them and clinked glasses with Zhang Yang and the others. This groom was quite articulate.

Zhang Yang and Xiao He also picked up their glasses and drank it down together. "We didn't know about your joyous occasion beforehand, so we didn't prepare anything.

Please accept this small item as your wedding gift!" Zhang Yang took out a box from his canvas bag and handed it directly to the bride. None of them knew today was someone’s wedding, so they hadn't prepared any gifts.

It would be inappropriate to arrive empty-handed, so Zhang Yang decided to offer something he had on him. The contents of this box were worth a considerable amount, and the gift was not light; it was a Longevity Pill that Zhang Yang had formulated using Dragon-Guiding Grass.

After successfully concocting it, he had already given it to Mi Xue and Qu Meilan. When Qu Meilan learned it was a Longevity Pill, she was so excited she nearly threw herself onto Zhang Yang.

Of course, given her strength, if Zhang Yang wanted to dodge, she wouldn't have succeeded. The Longevity Pill didn't grant eternal youth, but it was definitely far superior to ordinary cosmetics; no girl could resist such a temptation, and Mi Xue was no exception.

Upon learning the pill's miraculous effects, she immediately took one. Later, when Xiao Dai and Nannan found out, they also came asking for one.

Fortunately, Zhang Yang had prepared plenty. From all the leaves of one Dragon-Guiding Grass plant, he could formulate about twenty Longevity Pills.

He had used three plants, yielding over sixty pills in total. Even after giving them out, Zhang Yang still had many left.

This box contained one Longevity Pill. The box itself was unremarkable, but the item inside was truly valuable—a treasure that was priceless to a young woman.

"What is this?" Ren Lijuan's cousin took the box, asking somewhat curiously. The box was very ordinary and quite small, resembling a small jewelry box.

She even guessed it might contain a necklace, earrings, or similar jewelry. Zhang Yang's attire was fine, and she had heard from Ren Lijuan earlier that Zhang Yang was staying and dining there, which meant he was likely well-off enough to stay at a five-star hotel.

It would be understandable if Zhang Yang gave a decent gift. "Why don't you open it and see?

Zhang Yang, may we open it?" Ren Lijuan walked over now; she was very curious about the gift Zhang Yang had brought. Standing beside her cousin, she asked.

At this moment, Zhang Yang had just finished drinking with the groom. Seeing Zhang Yang offer a gift, the groom poured another glass of wine to express his thanks.

The people at the other tables were all their classmates, familiar with one another, many quite close. Today, only Zhang Yang's group were true guests, and having such timely and fateful guests made the groom quite happy.

"Of course you can!" Zhang Yang smiled at Ren Lijuan and raised his glass again to toast the groom, drinking another cup. While he was drinking, Ren Lijuan was already eagerly opening the box, and even Xiao He leaned in for a look.

Even the groom, who was drinking, couldn't help but glance over a few times. "Ah, this, what exactly is this?" As soon as it opened, Ren Lijuan cried out in surprise.

Inside the box was a very inconspicuous small pill. As soon as she spoke, the girl paused, sniffing repeatedly.

When the box opened, they all detected a fresh, clean fragrance—a scent that was incredibly alluring and exceptionally pleasant.