Chapter 641: Where does the joy come from?

The air in the main hall seemed to have solidified.

That invisible surge of qi came and went quickly, like a gust sweeping across the table, leaving a few seconds of silence.

The old steward and two bodyguards remained frozen in place, their faces ashen, sweat beading on their foreheads, as if nailed down by something.

Lin Zhenshan stood there, looking at Jiang Feng's absurdly youthful face, and the anger in his heart was replaced by something indescribable.

His hand still pointed toward Jiang Feng, but his fingertips began to tremble involuntarily.

He suddenly remembered something.

He had seen cultivators before.

Although the Lin family had few cultivators, as a top clan of Tianzhou they still came into contact with some from time to time.

The Linghu family, meanwhile, was a gathering place for cultivators; he would go to the capital Kyoto several times each year to pay visits and had seen many profound practitioners.

Those cultivators had a unique aura, hard to describe, but you could sense they were different from ordinary people.

Yet the aura emanating from this young man before him was deeper than that of any cultivator he had ever seen.

Could it be…?

Lin Zhenshan's Adam's apple rolled up and down once.

The next moment he spoke, his voice a little hoarse, no longer as overbearing as before.

"Sir… just who are you?"

His tone changed. From a high‑handed command it became probing and inquiring.

Jiang Feng stood there, glanced at Lin Zhenshan, curled the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a half‑smile.

"Lin family head, you are well‑versed and knowledgeable—surely you can tell who I am?"

Lin Zhenshan's brows knit tightly.

He thought and thought, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Feng several times before finally resting on his calm, water‑like eyes.

"Sir…"

His voice grew even hoarser.

"You must be a cultivator from the legends, right?"

Jiang Feng merely glanced at Lin Zhenshan, gave no answer, but sat down leisurely.

"Then may I take your daughter as my disciple now?"

Lin Zhenshan still shook his head: "Sorry, no."

Cultivators are indeed not to be trifled with.

But the Lin family is no ordinary household without foundation.

Moreover, how strong could a cultivator this young possibly be?

Lin Zhenshan drew a fresh breath, suppressing the earlier panic, and his expression slowly shifted from shock to a steady composure tinged with a businessman's calm.

He straightened his back, stood upright again, looked at Jiang Feng, and his tone regained a hint of the Chamber of Commerce president's bearing.

"Sorry, even if you are a cultivator, I, old brother, still believe you are unworthy to be my daughter's master."

As soon as he said that, Lin Yanqian's expression changed.

Jiang Feng's expression hardly changed; only the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened a bit.

"My daughter will only take as her teacher a Grandmaster Physician! As for you…"

Lin Zhenshan continued, his voice growing steadier.

"As for you flaunting cultivator authority, sorry—my Lin family knows plenty of cultivators. Since you are a cultivator, you must have heard of the Linghu clan, right?"

Linghu Wan also straightened her posture beside him, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with her husband.

She looked at Jiang Feng, her tone carrying a natural pride inherent to her Linghu lineage.

Jiang Feng gave a faint nod, while Linghu Wan grew even more smug and spoke.

"Since you know the Linghu clan, you should withdraw at once. I am a descendant of the Linghu family, and you swagger and deceive your way onto our Lin family's doorstep—if the Linghu clan finds out, your future will surely be ruined."

Lin Yanqian stood before Jiang Feng, hearing her mother's words, she was so anxious she almost jumped up.

She turned her head to look at Linghu Wan.

"Mom! Stop saying that! Master Jiang really isn't a fraud! I saw with my own eyes that he…"

"Yan Qian!"

Lin Zhenshan's voice rose eight degrees, cutting her off.

"Shut up! Look at what kind of love‑potion this person has fed you!"

Lin Yanqian's lips trembled, she still wanted to say something, but seeing her father's face flushed with anger, she swallowed her words back.

She clenched her fists, still standing in front of Jiang Feng.

Lin Zhenshan no longer looked at Lin Yanqian; his gaze shifted back to Jiang Feng.

His expression grew colder and harder, like a businessman making a final price negotiation.

"Sir, I can refrain from informing the Linghu clan about this, or I can give you some money for travel expenses—consider it our Lin family's respect for cultivators. But if you want more…"

He paused, his voice sinking lower.

"Then don't blame us Lin family for being impolite."

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Feng stood there, looking at Lin Zhenshan's face full of confidence and warning, and suddenly let out a light laugh.

The laugh was not loud, but in the quiet main hall it rang especially clear.

He spoke, his voice carrying a faint, undisguised mockery.

"So, you Lin family are refusing this opportunity?"

Lin Zhenshan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

That Laughter was loud, bearing an intentionally amplified exaggeration, as if to press down Jiang Feng's momentum.

"Opportunity?"

Lin Zhenshan repeated it, laughing until his body rocked forward and back.

"Such an opportunity my Lin Zhenshan daughter certainly doesn't need!"

"I need it!"

Lin Yanqian's voice was almost a shout.

She stood there, her eyes already red, looking at her parents, her voice carrying a resolve she had never had before.

"Dad, you said he is unworthy, but I need him! I've seen his skill with my own eyes, I know he's real! You don't understand him, but I know how powerful he is! This opportunity is mine, not yours!"

Lin Zhenshan's smile froze on his face.

He looked at his daughter's reddened eyes, at her stubborn expression, his lips moved as if to speak, but for a moment he actually didn't know how to begin.

At that moment, an excited voice from the old butler suddenly came from outside the door.

"Sir! A senior of the Linghu Family has arrived!"

The words fell like a stone into a calm water surface.

Lin Zhenshan's eyes lit up instantly; he snapped his head toward the doorway, his expression shifting from anger to wild joy, and from that joy an unmistakable smugness emerged.

He glanced at Jiang Feng, let out a cold laugh, his voice full of mockery.

"Did you hear? A big figure from the Linghu Family has arrived! If they find out you dare to deceive people using your martial cultivation, they'll make sure you can't even get away with it!"

He stepped forward two paces, puffed out his chest, his voice raised an octave, as if proclaiming victory.

"If you have any sense, get out right now!"

Linghu Wan also breathed a sigh of relief, her face once again showing that composed smile.

She walked to Lin Zhenshan's side, reached out to smooth her clothes, preparing to welcome the Linghu Family's important guest.

The Lin Family's rise to today, besides Lin Zhenshan's business operations, also owes a great deal to the Linghu Family's background as an important banner.

Just now they were quite wary of Jiang Feng's cultivator status, but now that the Linghu Family's people have arrived, there's even less to fear.

The light at the main hall's doorway dimmed briefly, and a silhouette walked in.

Dressed in a sleek, powerful outfit, hair tied into a high ponytail, steps light.

She stepped on the dark wood floor, producing crisp footfalls, as if treading on everyone's heartbeat.

It was Linghu Xue.

She stepped into the Lin Family's main hall, scanned the room, first spotting Jiang Feng, and nodded without a flicker of emotion.

She spread her arms, walked two steps toward Lin Zhenshan and Linghu Wan, her voice clear and bright.

"Uncle, aunt, congratulations!"

She walked to the two of them, the smile on her face impossible to hide.

"Your Lin Family has hit the jackpot!"

"Congratulations?"

Lin Zhenshan did know Linghu Xue, but at this moment, hearing Linghu Xue's words, he was completely stunned.

"The Lin Family, where does this joy come from?"