The eyes of the two people from the Yang family lit up when they heard Lin Xiao Tian actually agree.
"Hahaha, that's great, I'll have Yang Lin and Yang Xin pick you up then." The head of the Yang family's branch family appeared exceptionally excited.
He couldn't help but secretly praise his own two juniors, deeming his efforts in nurturing them worthwhile.
He had initially thought that Yang Lin's personality might have offended Lin Xiao Tian, but he didn't expect Lin Xiao Tian to not pursue the matter at all.
He was an alchemist, with a unique pursuit in the art of alchemy. If Lin Xiao Tian could come, it might be of great help to his path of alchemy.
After exchanging pleasantries with the two from the Yang family, Lin Xiao Tian continued to wander in the courtyard.
Because there were still some people in the courtyard, Qin Yu Xiang seemed a bit reserved.
"Don't be nervous, just treat it as an ordinary gathering." Lin Xiao Tian comforted her.
"Oh." Qin Yu Xiang nodded meekly.
As the two walked, they suddenly came across a broken stone tablet.
The stone tablet was surrounded by an iron fence, with a long passage of unintelligible text on it.
Around the fence, there were four guards, which made Lin Xiao Tian curious.
Most of the scenery in the courtyard was merely surrounded by wooden fences, not to prevent people from entering, but for decoration.
Only this stone tablet before them had dedicated personnel protecting it.
What on earth was this thing?
Lin Xiao Tian walked forward.
But when he reached about two meters from the fence, the guard stopped him.
"Mr. Lin, please stop." Lin Xiao Tian was slightly taken aback.
He didn't expect a mere guard to recognize him.
As expected of a hidden family, they must have already identified all the guests who arrived beforehand.
With such security, strangers would have no chance of sneaking in.
"Can I take a look?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"Yes, but you can't get any closer." The guard's expression was stern.
"No problem." Lin Xiao Tian smiled slightly.
Immediately after, Lin Xiao Tian looked at the broken stone tablet.
The reason he noticed this stone tablet was mainly because he felt that the cyan energy within him seemed to fluctuate slightly upon encountering it.
Although the fluctuation was not strong, and far weaker than the reaction he had when encountering jade, it was enough to indicate that the stone tablet was no ordinary object.
Lin Xiao Tian stared at the stone tablet, simultaneously circulating the cyan energy within him.
His eyes became vacant, as if his soul had wandered into the ethereal realm. In the next moment, a loud bell chime suddenly rang in his mind.
Dong...
Lin Xiao Tian abruptly stumbled back a few steps. If Qin Yu Xiang hadn't reacted quickly, he would have fallen to the ground.
Something is wrong.
This is definitely not right.
In all this time, he had never encountered such a situation!
Moreover, he was still so far away from the stone tablet and was still repelled by this force. It was evident that the stone tablet was definitely problematic.
Unfortunately, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't get close enough to the stone tablet. Otherwise, he would definitely have studied it thoroughly.
After looking at the stone tablet for a while longer, Lin Xiao Tian was careful.
Although he was repelled each time, to outsiders, he merely looked a bit unwell, not to the extent of nearly falling like he had just done.
Qin Yu Xiang didn't know what Lin Xiao Tian was looking at, but even so, she stayed with him.
The two lingered there for over half an hour. It was only then that Fang Wen Hua's call came, urging Lin Xiao Tian to come to the main hall.
"Okay." Lin Xiao Tian replied, and pulling Qin Yu Xiang along, he headed towards the main hall.
Little did Lin Xiao Tian know that the moment he left, one of the guards immediately reported the situation to the Lin family's internal security.
Even though Lin Xiao Tian hadn't displayed any unusual behavior, out of caution, they couldn't let any anomaly go unnoticed.
In the main hall of the Lin family, Lin Xiao Tian arrived at his seat. Not long after, the Lin family's old matriarch walked in from the main entrance.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, everyone. I'm old now, and I'm not as capable as I used to be. Everything I do is slow. Please bear with me!" the Lin family's old matriarch said with a kindly smile.
"Hehehe, you joke, old matriarch! Where are you old? Aren't you still young?" the guests began to flatter her.
After hearing them, the old matriarch merely smiled gently and didn't refute them.
Her gaze swept over everyone present, lingering on Lin Xiao Tian for a few seconds before returning to her seat.
For the rest of the time, like most birthday banquets, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
During the gift-giving segment, the Jiang clan sent Jiang Li to present his prepared gift.
It was a ginseng root that was several hundred years old, which the Jiang clan had painstakingly acquired from an auction.
Such centuries-old ginseng was a rarity in the ginseng market.
Moreover, with the Jiang family's financial strength, being able to present such ginseng was enough to show their importance to the old matriarch.
The old matriarch smiled kindly and, in front of everyone, praised Jiang Li for his accomplishments and filial piety.
"If the Lin family were to fall into the hands of a young man like you in the future, I would be at ease!" the old matriarch said lightly.
Jiang Li's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.
"Grandmother, I will work hard."
"Haha, my good grandson, Grandmother has always known that you have always been very hardworking."
From the guest seating, hearing the Lin family's old matriarch's words, Lin Xiao Tian felt like he was going to vomit.
Was this old matriarch blind?
When had Jiang Li ever worked hard?
He had even obtained his university graduation certificate through personal connections. If such a person were to control the Lin family in the future, the Lin family would truly be on a downward spiral.
Lin Xiao Tian didn't care what would happen to them, but he was concerned about what he would face if Jiang Li took control of the Lin family.
Opposite Jiang Li, Fang Wen Hua's expression remained impassive upon hearing these words. Lin Xiao Tian knew that he must be holding back a fire within.
However, Fang Wen Hua, as a prominent figure in the business world, was still able to maintain a smile at this moment.
Lin Xiao Tian looked around and did not see Lin Li Wen. Calculating it carefully, it had only been two to three months. It seemed the Lin family's protection for him was quite thorough, and he wasn't brought out for such an occasion.
After Jiang Li presented his gift, it was Fang Wen Hua's turn. When everyone saw Fang Wen Hua take out a small box, all eyes focused there.
"Mother-in-law, this is the gift I've prepared for you, called the Longevity Pill. All the ingredients are the most precious ones, and the refining process is extremely complex. We spent a very long time to refine this pill. I present this pill to you, hoping you will have boundless fortune and live as long as the South Mountain."
The old matriarch's eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, she responded faintly, "You've gone to trouble."
Fang Wen Hua still maintained a smile on his face. Even though the old matriarch's reaction was so indifferent, he handed the box containing the Longevity Pill to the Lin family's old matriarch and then returned to his seat.
"Oh, by the way!" the old matriarch suddenly said, "I heard you also invited the person who refined this pill?"
"Yes," Fang Wen Hua nodded.
"I am interested to see what kind of person it is who can refine such a pill? I recall that in the history of the various families, the number of people who have successfully refined this pill is no more than three combined, right?"
Fang Wen Hua frowned.
He didn't know what the old matriarch was planning.
However, he still introduced Lin Xiao Tian to the Lin family's old matriarch again.
"Seeing is believing, Lin Xiao Tian." The old matriarch looked at him with a smile. "You've really gone to a lot of trouble this time."
"The old matriarch is highly respected. This is all the least I, as a junior, can do," Lin Xiao Tian replied with a slight smile.
"Heh heh, I like those words. By the way, what a coincidence, your surname is Lin, and my surname is also Lin. Perhaps we really have some connection?" the old matriarch suddenly said.
Upon hearing the old matriarch's words, the expressions of everyone present immediately became somewhat unusual.