No one would have imagined that this book and calligraphy exhibition, which seemed destined for a happy conclusion, would instead be fraught with twists and turns, ultimately leading to its current state.
Let alone Li Zhengyi, anyone who saw the faces of Zhou Tao and Pang Yun would have to take a deep breath. What kind of force could leave five distinct finger imprints with a single slap!
"Still playing tough when death is at your doorstep. Fine, I'll give you another chance to explain. If you can't, you'll join them on their way."
Ye Longlin's words remained as calm as ever, so calm it was as if he were stating a simple fact.
This... the group exchanged glances, unsure of what to say for a moment.
The aura of the young man before them was simply too powerful, leaving them utterly helpless and with no idea how to deal with him.
"I know all the old folks at the National Capital Go Hall, but I've never seen you. Are you the descendant of that person? Or perhaps their illegitimate son?"
Li Zhengyi sneered, not taking him seriously at all, nor even bothering to look at him. After all, in the end, the other party was just a young man.
Having lived so many years, he had never encountered such an arrogant junior. This was his first time.
"If you don't know how to speak, I suggest you shut up forever. Of course, you can also contact those people at the National Capital Go Hall and ask them if they dare to talk nonsense in front of me!"
Ye Longlin said coldly, his gaze sharp enough to freeze everything, making one feel as if they were in an ice cave.
Li Zhengyi narrowed his eyes. Had he guessed wrong? It shouldn't be. If the other party were truly a Grandmaster, how could he not know?
Cheng Yi snorted at this point, "What? Is President Li questioning my professionalism? If even a rank nine Go master can't defeat someone, they can only be a Grandmaster. You are also a member of the Go Association, and you should know how difficult it is to achieve the status of a Grandmaster."
Li Zhengyi glared fiercely at Cheng Yi but said nothing more, though his eyes still held a hint of suspicion.
Cheng Yi was right. If the other party was a Grandmaster, then anyone who wasn't a Grandmaster simply couldn't win. This wasn't a simple case of one plus one equaling two, because in Go, one plus one could potentially equal four, five, six, seven, or eight.
Who would dare impersonate a Grandmaster? No one would have that audacity.
"Since you are a Grandmaster, you should understand that one should not behave this way in public. We are all people of standing; there's no need for this. Please grant this old man some face."
After a moment of silence, Li Zhengyi decided to let the matter drop. The other party's background was considerable. If he continued, it would be an embarrassment for himself, for the entire Chang'an art scene, and for everyone present.
Given that the situation had already unfolded and reached this point, it was best to stop here and not push it further.
Ye Longlin sneered, "I can give you face, but one thing must be clarified. Did Old Xia plagiarize this fatty, or did someone behind this fatty want to ruin Old Xia's reputation?"
Other matters could be overlooked, but this had to be made clear. If it wasn't, he wouldn't back down.
After all, there were quite a few reporters present. If things weren't clarified, these reporters would write nonsense, and his grandfather's reputation would be ruined.
Regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, he would always stand by Xia Mingzhong. After all, he was Xia Mingzhong's grandson.
"Daddy, Daddy, I smell something, I smell something! It smells like smoked meat!"
The little one suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed excitedly.
Ye Longlin's eyes narrowed as he turned to look behind him.
Behind them, someone, not believing it, had picked up the Xuan paper that should have been in Pang Yun's hands and was holding it over a lighter.
Since it was already aged using the smoke method, upon heating, the scent of pine immediately emerged.
And the smell was faint, detectable by anyone.
Zhou Tao's face twitched as he glared at the person holding the lighter. That person was one of Xia Mingzhong's disciples.
"Heh heh heh, it really is aged by smoke. President Li, do you have any further explanations? I'll give you a piece of advice.
Call those people at the National Capital Go Hall and ask them if they dare to be presumptuous in front of Ye Longlin!"
Ye Longlin said with a smile, but his smile was chilling, making one's heart tremble and their hairs stand on end!
Li Zhengyi, swayed by Ye Longlin's words, inexplicably took out his phone and made a call. After the other party answered, he asked, "Old Xu, do you know someone named Ye Longlin?"
The other party clearly paused. After taking a deep breath, he asked with lingering fear, "Old Li, I advise you not to provoke that malevolent god. He's the one who destroyed the Ye family. If you provoke him, his little finger can crush you!
This is my honest advice as an old friend. You can provoke anyone, but provoking him... have you already provoked him? Then you're finished. You should pray you haven't completely angered him. If you have, think about where you'd like to be buried so the feng shui is good."
Li Zhengyi: "..."
What the hell...
Is the other party really that terrifying?
The one who destroyed the Ye family... Within Great Xia, there was only one Ye family, and that was the Ye family, the foremost of the Ten Great Families!
"Also, I warn you, is there a woman and a child beside him? Absolutely, absolutely do not provoke that child. Ye Longlin is a doting father.
Also, it's best not to provoke that woman either. She's the little princess of the Murong family of Jinling and the Murong family of the National Capital. If you provoke her, you either go to their door with a thorn on your back, or you wait to die. There is no third option."
Li Zhengyi: "..."
After listening to his words, Li Zhengyi was dumbfounded. To put it plainly, none of the three of them could be provoked, is that it?
It turns out all three of them had significant backgrounds!
"What if, all of you combined?" Li Zhengyi asked, unwilling to give up.
Old Xu chuckled, "Do you think there's any difference between someone crushing a group of ants and crushing a single ant?"
Hearing this, Li Zhengyi almost cursed. He felt like crying!
Damn it, he shouldn't have gotten involved in this incident.
Who would have thought a Black Whirlwind Li Kui would show up halfway!
"Mr. Ye, on behalf of the Chang'an art world, I apologize to you. We did not investigate the facts clearly and have caused you trouble. We are very sorry."
Ye Longlin: "Did you cause me trouble? You should have caused trouble for Old Xia! Also, I want to know who is behind Pang Yun, as everyone present is very interested."