Chapter 65: Power Broker! At Least It's Good News!

A Power Broker! At Least It's Good News!

Lu Feng stepped out of the teahouse with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

He could naturally sense the shift in He Jin's attitude.

In this era ruled by the rule of law, someone like He Jin simply could not hold a candle to figures in official circles. Yet, the mere mention that Lin Xuecheng was heading to his teahouse for a cup of tea was enough to visibly rattle the man.

Lu Feng drove straight to Qingfeng Teahouse without delay. Upon entering his office, he retrieved a box of Tier-3 Qingfeng tea leaves from his inventory space and stripped away the outer packaging bearing the manufacturing date.

Before long, Lin Xuecheng and Hu Quan arrived.

Lu Feng personally greeted them at the entrance and escorted them into his office.

Not far from the Qingfeng Teahouse, a man witnessed the entire scene with his own eyes. He even pulled out his smartphone to check Youcheng’s official government website for verification.

A moment later, he hurried back to Xianlin Teahouse.

This man was none other than one of He Jin's subordinates.

Upon seeing He Jin, he blurted out immediately, "Boss, a deputy county magistrate really went over there for tea. I even specifically checked Youcheng's official website to confirm it."

Hearing this, He Jin's brows furrowed deeply.

He never expected that merely slaughtering a fat pig would provoke such troublesome complications.

"Aside from that one-million-yuan IOU, how much more did that Chen Yong lose?" He Jin asked, frowning.

The subordinate replied immediately, "Fifty thousand yuan!"

Sighing, He Jin instructed, "Send those fifty thousand yuan back. Also, tell the brothers not to mess with people like Yang Ming and Chen Bo anymore."

The subordinate nodded at once. "Understood, Boss."

Since there was no direct grievance, He Jin chose the most prudent path of backing down under these circumstances.

In this world, nothing mattered more than making money.

Back at Qingfeng Teahouse, Lu Feng had ushered Lin Xuecheng and Hu Quan into his office. The tea table inside was already laden with a dozen brews of Tier-3 Qingfeng tea leaves.

"Boss Lu, is this the legendary tea?" Hu Quan sat down and immediately broached the subject.

He had been harboring extraordinary anticipation for the even superior Qingfeng tea leaves Lu Feng had mentioned. After all, the previous variety was already exceptional; how much better could an upgraded version possibly be?

Lin Xuecheng, being an aficionado of tea himself, shared that intense anticipation. More importantly, these tea leaves were intended to be submitted for intangible cultural heritage review—that was his primary concern at the moment.

"Yes, these Qingfeng leaves are the absolute finest I am capable of roasting," Lu Feng said as he picked up a packet of Tier-3 Qingfeng tea, opened it, and began to boil water.

Once the water reached a boil, he proceeded to brew the tea. The moment the Tier-3 Qingfeng leaves hit the hot water, an intensely rich and fragrant aroma diffused through the air.

This aroma immediately caused expressions of sheer disbelief to cross the faces of both Hu Quan and Lin Xuecheng.

As connoisseurs of tea, they naturally knew how extraordinary this fragrance was.

Hu Quan, in particular, had consumed countless varieties of fine tea, yet even the finest he had ever tasted could not possibly release such a rich aroma from the very first brew.

Furthermore, this tea fragrance possessed an almost irresistible allure.

Lu Feng quickly brewed a pot and poured a cup each for Hu Quan and Lin Xuecheng.

Captivated already, the two men lifted their cups and took a sip without hesitation.

The attributes of the Tier-3 tea—its rich aroma, sweet aftertaste, and refreshing properties—instantly left them thunderstruck.

"This aroma, this sweetness and lingering aftertaste... it's simply astonishing!" Hu Quan couldn't help but praise aloud.

Lin Xuecheng unconsciously nodded in agreement.

The tea was truly too exquisite; how could anyone ever enjoy other teas after experiencing this?

With a smile, Lu Feng asked, "Magistrate Lin, how is this tea? Submitting it for the intangible cultural heritage review should be smooth sailing, shouldn't it?"

Lin Xuecheng replied instantly, "Boss Lu, are you joking? There are barely a few teas in the entire country that can rival this. If these leaves fail to pass, we might as well abandon our application for intangible cultural heritage status altogether."

Lu Feng nodded with a smile, brimming with confidence regarding the Tier-3 Qingfeng tea.

After pouring a few more cups for the two men, Lu Feng turned to Hu Quan and asked, "President Hu, I wonder if I might inquire about some information from you?"

Hu Quan took another sip of tea, his face suffused with rapturous satisfaction as he replied, "Boss Lu, what kind of information do you need? Whatever I know, I will certainly tell you."

Lu Feng immediately asked, "President Hu, have you ever heard of someone known as 'Master Kai' from the provincial capital of Fujian Province?"

"Master Kai?" Hu Quan clearly looked startled upon hearing the name. "Boss Lu has dealings with Master Kai? I once tried to establish a connection with him, but didn't even get the opportunity to make contact."

Lu Feng pressed further, "Is this Master Kai very famous, President Hu?"

"Famous doesn't even begin to cover it," Hu Quan said immediately. "Within certain circles in Fujian Province, his reputation is enormous. He is a renowned middleman—or rather, a broker, a broker with political backing."

Hearing this, Lin Xuecheng involuntarily arched his eyebrows, evidently understanding the implications of the term "broker." However, he remained silent; after all, affairs in the provincial capital were well beyond his sphere of influence.

Hu Quan continued, "This Master Kai wields considerable influence and dabbles in all sorts of businesses. Furthermore, he possesses immense backing and formidable connections behind the scenes. Many businesses that others cannot touch, he can handle; ventures that others dare not get involved in, he can take on.

"However, within those circles, Master Kai's reputation for credibility is actually quite stellar. Consequently, countless people strive to get in good with him. I had the same idea back then, but unfortunately, I couldn't even catch a glimpse of him."

Through Hu Quan's explanation, Lu Feng roughly grasped the nature of this Master Kai.

He was essentially someone with deep backing and influential patrons in high places, transforming illicit or problematic ventures into legitimate undertakings under his purview.

The fact that Master Kai maintained a good reputation for credibility was at least not bad news.

What remained utterly puzzling was why such a figure would take an interest in a gold trade.

If not for that single ton of gold, he likely would have ended up just like Hu Quan—completely unable to establish a connection with Master Kai, let alone meet him.

Word had it that the prospective buyer had changed his mind and demanded a meeting solely because of the one-ton gold transaction.

Hu Quan did not dwell further on Master Kai afterward; discussing certain matters extensively in Lin Xuecheng's presence was improper.

Lu Feng dropped the subject as well and busied himself pouring more tea for them.

Acting as though he had heard nothing, Lin Xuecheng sipped his tea for a while longer before departing with Hu Quan, naturally taking along a supply of the Tier-3 Qingfeng tea leaves.

With these tea leaves dispatched to the intangible cultural heritage review committee, Youcheng would undoubtedly boast a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage tea brand in no time.

Once Hu Quan and Lin Xuecheng left, Lu Feng locked his office door from the inside and shifted his consciousness into the game with a single thought.

Since he was going to trade a ton of gold with Master Kai, nothing could go wrong with the metal itself.

Upon entering the game, Lu Feng inspected the corner where the ton of re-smelted gold bars rested, completely stripped of any identifying hallmarks.

He retrieved the duffel bags he had previously brought into the game and began packing the gold into them.

With that task finished, he stepped out of the vault and spotted the four members of Lin Jiao's group. They were currently gathered around the captive male prisoner. The ropes binding the man had been untied, and he was now wolfing down a piece of marbled beef.

Catching sight of Lu Feng, Lin Jiao stepped forward to report, "Boss, we've figured out this guy's identity. He's a squad leader in the Salvation Army, named Wang Cheng.

"According to him, an unknown faction has appeared in this city. His Salvation Army unit was ambushed and scattered by this mysterious force, and his squad members were either killed or went missing.

"Therefore, we should probably exercise caution and avoid crossing paths with this faction."

Lu Feng nodded inwardly at the news. It really was Wang Cheng, and Lin Jiao's report matched the game's official storyline nearly word for word.

Playing the game more frequently in the future would clearly pay off, granting him a degree of prophetic insight.

"Are you an Awakened?" Wang Cheng suddenly looked up at Lu Feng and asked.

"You could say that," Lu Feng replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Wang Cheng said nothing more and resumed gnawing on the marbled beef in his hand.

Frowning slightly at the sight, Lu Feng ignored the man and walked straight upstairs.

In the archives room, Cheng Yaoyao was intently sketching and studying blueprints with a ruler, working on repairing the technology for an electromagnetic rice cooker.

Without disturbing her, Lu Feng withdrew from the game with a thought.

Scarcely had he returned to his office when Da Fei's voice sounded from outside the door.

Opening the door, Lu Feng heard Da Fei say, "Boss Feng, someone is here to see you. He's a subordinate of that He Jin character, and he says he's here to deliver money—the fifty thousand yuan Chen Yong lost."

"Send him up," Lu Feng commanded with a frown.

His cousin Chen Yong had fallen victim to a scam, resulting in far more than just the one-million-yuan debt; he had also gambled away the fifty thousand yuan demolition compensation belonging to his family.

Now that He Jin had sent someone to return that exact sum, the intent was crystal clear: he was completely capitulating.

Da Fei went downstairs immediately and brought up He Jin's subordinate. The man produced a bank card and addressed Lu Feng deferentially, "Boss Feng, this card holds the fifty thousand yuan Chen Yong lost. If you provide an account number, Boss He instructed us to transfer the funds right back."

Hearing this, Lu Feng pulled out his phone and dialed Lin Mei, his second aunt.

Inside the apartment in Yipin, Lin Shung was still consoling Lin Mei.

Sighing heavily, Lin Mei said, "Sister, I really envy you. Although Xiaofeng dropped out of high school in his first year, he's turned out successful now. He bought his own car and house, opened a teahouse, and even started a tea factory. Unlike my Chen Yong—he got into a top-tier university, yet in the end, he stirs up a mess like this and who knows where he's run off to."

Amidst her complaints, her phone rang. Seeing Lu Feng's caller ID, she answered instantly.

Upon hearing what Lu Feng had to say, she stood up in sheer disbelief. "The other party is returning the fifty thousand yuan?"

Her voice cracked with uncontrolled shock. Her logic had been simple: her son had gambled, and those demolition funds were gone for good; she only prayed the creditors wouldn't press them too relentlessly.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that after Lu Feng stepped in to handle the matter, not only would the one-million-yuan debt be written off, but the fifty thousand yuan her son had lost would actually be refunded.

She hastily recited her bank card number to Lu Feng.

When a text notification chimed, confirming that fifty thousand yuan had indeed been deposited into her account, she found it hard to fathom that her sister's son wielded such immense influence now.

She remembered all too clearly how menacing those debt collectors had been when they came knocking at her door.