Volume Two: The Anbei Consortium Chapter Two: Units, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, Ten Thousands, Hundred Thousands, Millions, Ten Millions

What intrigued Li Yu most was the immense strength that had erupted from Chen Chengde when he had grabbed hold of him just now. Reflecting further, Li Yu recalled that he had once seen someone with a similar aura among guests at his home, though at the time he was too young and the person had only appeared briefly, so the memory had faded. Now, in the presence of Chen Chengde, Li Yu realized that there were perhaps certain aspects of the world he had never known.

For example, a power that remained hidden from the eyes of ordinary people.

Chen Chengde led Li Yu to a seat where several others were already gathered—three middle-aged men and two elderly gentlemen.

"And this young man is?" The square-faced man in the center asked with curiosity, gesturing toward Li Yu. The discussion at hand was anything but 'ordinary'—so how had a child ended up here? Still, he was a man of composure and showed no displeasure.

"Ha, you heard his name during introductions just now, didn't you?" Chen Chengde said with a genial smile. "Of course, only those of our circle would be invited to listen in. Besides, this whole matter—well, it was our young friend here who made the connections."

He'd almost said that Li Yu was the one who sold the ginseng, but catching himself, he remembered Li Yu had sold it separately, clearly not wanting that fact made public; so he changed his words at the last moment.

Glancing at Li Yu and seeing no sign of displeasure, Chen Chengde relaxed.

The gathering was about negotiating the sale of a ginseng root Chen Chengde had acquired at auction. The middle-aged man's elder was gravely ill and desperately needed such a rare medicinal treasure to replenish his vitality.

And Chen Chengde, in turn, needed influential figures to speak on his behalf at future meetings.

Li Yu, meanwhile, was mulling over the phrase 'one of our circle.' By now, he was half a seventh-rank cultivator. Even if he couldn't project his spiritual energy outward, taking on a few people like Chen Chengde would be effortless. So he was unconcerned about minor matters.

If anyone did try to target him, he’d make sure they understood why the flowers bloom so red.

As well as the meaning of "heroes are born young."

"Since he's one of us, it doesn't matter. Old Chen, we were discussing the allocation; let's continue," the white-bearded elder said.

"Of course," Chen Chengde nodded. "This year, at the martial arts academies, my family and Old Li’s will each open two additional branches in the province. What do you think?"

"Isn’t that too many?" The white-bearded elder’s murky eyes flashed with sharpness.

More academies meant diluted quality, which could only harm the reputation of their sects. Besides, more academies required more teachers—and most disciples were focused on their own training, not teaching.

Careless expansion was a grave mistake, threatening everyone’s interests—a disaster no wise man would welcome. They were martial artists, not muscle-bound fools.

Thus, the established martial families in the province would hold votes to compete for shares within the agreed rules, forming alliances to suppress those who tried to overstep.

That was why the elder asked. According to his knowledge, the number of authorized academies in the province ranged from ten to fifteen. Four, controlled by the Chen and Li families together, was a considerable share.

What gave them the confidence to make such a move? Besides the votes, there was also the open arena—spots could be seized in combat, and those unwilling to accept the outcome could always challenge it.

"No need to worry," Chen Chengde replied cheerfully. "We’re confident in our chances."

After a few more words, the group took their leave.

Li Yu remained seated, waiting until Chen Chengde returned after seeing the guests off. Only then did Li Yu look up.

"Interesting—these people are all of high status," Li Yu mused. He hadn’t sat idle but had used his phone to look them up; each one was either a high-ranking executive or an official.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Chen Chengde said. "Are you sure you don’t want to join the auction? I hear some truly priceless treasures are up for bid."

Though he’d already been politely declined days before, Chen Chengde decided to extend the invitation once more.

"I can’t afford priceless treasures," Li Yu joked with a shrug. "Next time, I promise. I really have something else tonight."

"Very well. The room next door will be ready soon—why not stay and chat a while?" Chen Chengde changed the subject and began sharing amusing anecdotes.

Most were lighthearted, though some touched on topics like 'martial contests' or 'sword duels atop Mount Hua,' reminiscent of martial arts tales.

Li Yu didn't think the old man was making things up. More likely, his show of resistance earlier had led Chen Chengde to believe he was a fellow practitioner, and so he spoke openly.

"By the way, those martial academies you mentioned—are they really that important? You all seemed eager for more," Li Yu interjected.

"Ah, life isn’t easy," Chen Chengde sighed. "There’s only one chance every five years to add new academies—how could we let it pass? Thanks to the ginseng you put up for auction, my family elder was able to break through his bottleneck, which gives us the confidence to compete."

He spoke frankly of the ginseng being acquired at auction by an insider, making it clear to Li Yu he had paid fair and square, with no underhanded dealings.

Li Yu didn’t care about that—as long as the price hadn’t been forced down.

But the mention of the once-in-five-years expansion of martial academies did pique his interest.

"In truth, the academies themselves aren’t the main thing. You could open a few on your own anytime," Chen Chengde explained, seeing Li Yu’s curiosity. "The key is that these quota academies are officially endorsed by all the sects in the province. They’re protected—no one is allowed to challenge them. And their disciples receive five 'core disciple' slots."

Those core slots were what really mattered. With fewer people taking up martial arts these days, every disciple was precious, and those with core status carried the sect’s mark—bringing countless benefits.

Li Yu nodded just as the manager from next door finished his business and came over to hand him the rest of his funds.

"If you’re busy, that’s fine," Chen Chengde said. "But if you have time, you should come up to the top floor of the Junhao Hotel—the auction’s being held there. If you want to attend, just call me; you’ll need an invitation to get in."

"Alright, if I’m free I’ll definitely drop by." Li Yu glanced down at the bank notification on his phone, his gaze lingering on the balance: 25,505,000.30 yuan.

Perfect.

Checking the time, he figured it was about right and took his leave to collect the rest of his money from the other auction house.

By the time all was done, evening was approaching.

His account balance had now surpassed fifty million.

…

He had just stepped out of the auction house when his phone rang. It was Huang Xiu.

"Yu, where are you? I’ve booked the place—the Junhao Hotel," Huang Xiu said. "Is it far from where you are?"

Li Yu was speechless. Why was everyone gathering at the Junhao Hotel?

"Is it inconvenient for you?" Huang Xiu asked.

"No, it’s fine. I’ll take a cab over and wait for you," Li Yu replied, hung up, and hailed a taxi. "To the Junhao Hotel, please."

"Alright," the driver said, just as a voice called out from outside.

"Wait, wait!" Le Lin opened the door. "Sorry, my car broke down and I have something urgent at the Junhao Hotel. Could you let me take your cab? I’ll give you an extra hundred if you hail another."

Li Yu glanced at her and saw, not far behind, a pink sedan with a flattened tire.

Her eyes fell on his phone screen, which was still displaying his bank notification. Her mouth dropped open—"Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million…"

Heavens, do kids these days all have this much money?

Li Yu raised his eyebrows and turned off his phone. "Get in. I’m heading to the Junhao Hotel too."

Le Lin didn’t hesitate. "Thank you, thank you! It’s so hard to get a cab at this hour."

She was in a rush, her car had failed her at the worst possible moment, and it was rush hour—impossible to find a ride.

Luckily, this generous, wealthy stranger was willing to share. She glanced at Li Yu beside her.

"So handsome…"