Capítulo 449: Chapter 449: So disrespectful, not even an invitation?
One-Eyed Man pondered.
Given Li Guofeng's pettiness, he was certain that he wouldn't receive an invitation because of the incident with his grandson. Li Guofeng would undoubtedly try to avoid him. One-Eyed Man had seen through his intentions from the start.
But he felt a sense of unease.
Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was heavy.
"Li Guofeng is holding a Starry Sky Great Clan Friendship Conference. Did any of you receive an invitation?" One-Eyed Man asked.
Everyone exchanged glances, then shook their heads.
"Not a single one?"
One-Eyed Man's voice suddenly rose, tinged with disbelief. This was blatant disrespect. He could understand being snubbed himself, given their past conflicts. Li Guofeng had the right to not invite him.
However, Yongxin, Liu Haichan, Lin Daoming, and the others were all prominent figures with significant influence. If you were organizing a Starry Sky Great Clan Friendship Conference, and you didn't invite these heavyweights, who were you planning to invite?
"None," they all reiterated, shaking their heads.
"How could Li Guofeng have connections with the Starry Sky Great Clans? Someone must be pulling strings for him. Their motives are impure, their intentions malicious!" One-Eyed Man exclaimed.
Liu Haichan added, "We must be cautious."
Lin Daoming chimed in, "None of us can claim to fully understand the Starry Sky Great Clans, yet Li Guofeng dares to act so boldly. This so-called friendship conference is like inviting wolves into the house. Holding it in Xia Du is a way to avoid us... no, to avoid Lin Fan."
Their connections with the Starry Sky Great Clans were all thanks to Lin Fan. The clans only acknowledged them because of Lin Fan. Without him, they wouldn't be given a second glance.
One-Eyed Man looked at Lin Daoming with a hint of appreciation.
Not bad. He had some insight.
Still feeling disgruntled, One-Eyed Man dialed Old Master Xu in front of everyone.
"Did you receive an invitation to the Starry Sky Great Clan Friendship Conference?"
He waited in silence. If Old Master Xu said no, he might feel a little better. This feeling was strange, perhaps it was jealousy.
After a long pause, Old Master Xu's voice came from the other end, tinged with annoyance, "Yes, I did. You didn't?" He had been troubled by this matter, and upon seeing One-Eyed Man's call, a thought crossed his mind.
One-Eyed Man, who was about to say no, was completely taken aback by Old Master Xu's question.
This was clearly showing off.
"Of course I did. How could I not? With my status, would it even be a conference without me?"
"Haha, saving face will only bring suffering. I'll see you in three days."
"Wait, I want to know Li Guofeng's true purpose for holding this conference. Didn't you try to stop him?"
"There's no way to stop it. It's a private event. There was no news beforehand. By the time it was announced, the media was already there. It was impossible to intervene. What's more alarming is the high level of public interest. Just look online. Anyway, I need to make preparations. I have to go deal with this."
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, One-Eyed Man could sense Old Master Xu's frustration. He was clearly taking this matter seriously. It was a delicate situation, and if handled poorly, it could easily escalate.
Back in the conference room, One-Eyed Man said, "Project the online situation."
Jin He Li skillfully operated the controls, saying, "I've been collecting online data since I learned about this. Here are the statistics: 70% are curious about the Starry Sky Great Clans, 27% believe we shouldn't interact with them, and the remaining 3% are indifferent, thinking it's irrelevant to them."
"Furthermore, among the 70% who are curious, 90% believe the Starry Sky Great Clans can help them understand the secrets of the universe."
"This is a dangerous situation."
One-Eyed Man tapped his fingers on the table, his expression grave as he contemplated. Then he declared, "We must attend this conference. Not only attend, but also showcase the strength of humanity."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Of course, none of them had considered how exactly they would display this strength.
Was it even necessary to think about it?
With Lin Fan, they feared nothing.
They might talk about relying on themselves and striving to improve their strength, but their actions told a different story.
"Anything else?" One-Eyed Man inquired.
Jin He Li adjusted her glasses and opened another report. "According to our investigation, Li Guofeng has been frequenting the outskirts of the city recently, most likely to contact the Starry Sky Great Clans. Several members of the clans who were staying in Yanhai City have already gone to Xia Du, including Li Yanyin and the Eighth Prince of the Golden Crow."
"Who contacted them?" One-Eyed Man asked.
"We don't know who made the initial contact, but call records show it was someone from Xia Du, likely connected to Li Guofeng."
Hearing that the clan members they had cultivated had gone over, Master Yongxin erupted in anger.
"Amitabha, these benefactors are truly unscrupulous."
As a high-ranking monk with numerous Buddhist scriptures to memorize, he felt his status had been elevated. Even in anger, his words maintained a certain decorum.
Lin Daoming held a cigarette between two fingers. "I'm not going to lie, this free food, free lodging, free everything... it's barbaric, utterly beastly."
Liu Haichan remained calm and composed, embodying the Taoist principle of effortless action. Whatever happened, happened. It was of no concern to him.
"Did Wu Sheng and Wu Xingyun go?" One-Eyed Man asked.
"No," Jin He Li replied.
This offered some small comfort. Otherwise, their minds might have truly shattered.
Three days later, in Xia Du...
"Lin Fan, it's been so long since I've been to Xia Du. I used to come here often," Xiao Bao said, inhaling the Xia Du air as soon as they got off the plane. The air was decent, just slightly inferior to Yanhai City.
Lin Fan smiled. "If you want to come, you can come often."
"Will you accompany me?"
"Yes, whenever you want to come." Lin Fan affectionately stroked Xiao Bao's head, though he was worried about Xiao Bao's studies due to the frequent absences from school.
"I knew you were the best," Xiao Bao said happily.
Lin Fan smiled. "But you can't skip school anymore. You have to study hard, okay? Otherwise, you won't get into a good university."
Xiao Bao replied, "I know, but I also know that money is everything. Even if I don't study well, I can still go to a good university because my grandpa is a trustee of a century-old university, and when it's my turn, I'll be a trustee too."
One-Eyed Man, who was following them, glanced at Xiao Bao.
This child... had rather advanced thinking.
He had already seen through the essence of things.
Money indeed was powerful, but it shouldn't be said aloud, especially not with such knowing confidence. Although many agreed, many also disagreed. Voicing such thoughts would only invite criticism. How could someone so young have such a mindset? It was considered improper.
One-Eyed Man himself used to be one of those critics.
But later, he realized... those were just wishful thinking. With more experience, his perspective gradually shifted.
Otherwise, contradictory phrases wouldn't exist.
"You may have me, but you don't have my heart."
"Love grows over time!"
Even television dramas portrayed this trope. The heroine hates the villain, is forced into a relationship, and then, over time... just as the villain is about to be defeated by the hero, the heroine cries out, "No! Although he forced me, he treated me well. I think I've fallen in love with him..."
That was the gist of it.
This time in Xia Du, Yongxin, Lin Daoming, and Liu Haichan didn't come. Only One-Eyed Man accompanied Lin Fan, the hen, and the ginseng.
Yanhai City was currently safe with the Dao Tree guarding the entrance.
"Lin Fan, where are we going to play now?" Xiao Bao asked.
"Wherever you want to go," Lin Fan replied.
One-Eyed Man coughed lightly. "We have business to attend to. We're not here to play. We can play after we've taken care of things."
Although young, Xiao Bao was understanding. He nodded and obediently held Lin Fan's hand, content to follow along.
The Evil Chicken wanted to protest. As an Evil Hero, he was now being bullied by the ginseng and the squirrel. They rode on his back, completely disregarding him.
Patience!
Just you wait.
Old Master Xu stood in the distance on the rooftop helipad of the headquarters building. Seeing Lin Fan's arrival, he shared the same thought as One-Eyed Man.
Everything was going to be alright.
Down in the city, Wu Sheng and Wu Xingyun walked through the bustling streets.
They had both received invitations.
"Elder, Mu Hao really went all out for this conference."
"Indeed, it's unexpected."
They were content in Yanhai City, but with such an event happening, they were naturally curious and wanted to see what kind of spectacle this Starry Sky Great Clan Friendship Conference would be.
Mu Hao, treated as a pawn by Bei Tao, initially had no interest in this matter. He hadn't even given it much thought.
A Starry Sky Great Clan Friendship Conference? How preposterous.
But Bei Tao had coaxed him, saying that if this event succeeded, he would be the leading figure, holding a significant position. All communication between the Starry Sky Great Clans and humanity would go through him.
With nothing better to do and having suffered numerous setbacks, Mu Hao pondered the idea. Hey... it might actually be something.
Thus, with Mu Hao acting as a liaison, they contacted many Starry Sky Great Clans. For the clans, who had been searching for treasures within the mountains and ancient ruins with minimal success, this was an opportunity.
Their limited understanding of these locations hindered their progress.
Upon learning of the so-called friendship conference, none of them declined.
At the event venue, Sun Xiao was live-streaming. He had gained some notoriety after his supposed encounter on Changbai Mountain, becoming a representative of the common people.
"I'm currently in Xia Du. The Li Corporation's friendship conference is about to begin. Everyone, take a look at the surrounding streets. They're packed with onlookers."
"With this kind of turnout, even an international superstar's arrival would pale in comparison."
He adjusted his camera, focusing on the surrounding buildings. Every floor was filled with people, and even more incredibly, the rooftops were crowded with people holding telescopes.
This conference was a grand affair, generating immense public excitement.
"I heard that leaders from various countries are attending. No joke, this conference is going to be lively. I, Sun Xiao, will definitely bring you all the highlights."
"Although it's hard work, for the sake of showing my brothers and sisters the firsthand information, what's a little hardship, right?"
"To all my new viewers, raise your little hands, follow me, and send some free gifts."
"Thank you!"
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