Zhou Xie and the others secretly cleared the boundaries between themselves and Zhang Guodong. Instead of the first "Yuan" Jiahao, they booked a new private room on the top floor. This was a VIP room; only important people were allowed to come up. Zhang Guodong made a phone call, and Ye Yun arrived shortly after.

Knowing that these women would one day meet, Zhang Guodong still felt uneasy. Ye Yun had already borne him a child, but now she couldn't enter the Zhang family. He felt uneasy and guilty towards Ye Yun and his son. But how could he explain this to Li Yun and the others?

Zhang Guodong excused himself and waited outside. Ye Yun, dressed in an elegant white silk blouse, high-heeled sandals, walked gracefully towards him. She appeared neither dignified nor lacking in elegance and charm.

Seeing Zhang Guodong standing at the door, Ye Yun blushed and smiled sweetly. However, she quickly huffed, a hint of jealousy creeping in as she thought about how many women this man might have.

"Little man, why are you sweating? Are you feeling unwell? Humph!" Ye Yun pinched Zhang Guodong's arm, giving him a playful squeeze, looking quite jealous. "Are those two beauties your little lovers?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Well, Qin Lina is just my neighbor, Taoyuan Xiaozhu's neighbor." Zhang Guodong grinned and said guiltily.

But who is Ye Yun? How could she let Zhang Guodong's lame excuse get her away with it?

"So, you're implying that the other girl named Li Yun is one of your little lovers? You've finally admitted it today. Tell me, how many little lovers do you actually have? Don't let it cause any misunderstandings!" Ye Yun said with a charming smile, her tone tinged with jealousy. But that smile was full of warning, a threat!

"My poor Hao Hao can't even recognize his grandparents, and he can't even enter the Zhang family's house."

After a warning that turned into a plaintive lament, Zhang Guodong felt overwhelmed. Seeing that no one was around, he suddenly wrapped his arms around Ye Yun and chuckled as he licked her a few times. The latter, however, struggled restlessly, seemingly determined not to let Zhang Guodong succeed.

"Let go quickly, someone will see!" Ye Yun said hurriedly.

"Alright, my dear Teacher Ye, who dares to come up here? I'm here to introduce you to my sisters, hehe. Although you and your son can't enter the Zhang family yet, I might as well let you meet your future sisters so you won't be lonely. Actually, there aren't many. Including you, I only have four women," Zhang Guodong said shamelessly.

His woman, once she launched a tearful offensive, he crumbled. Ye Yun had found his Achilles' heel. This little man was a bit of a lecher, but he was truly sincere towards her and their child. It was just a pity that Zhang Guodong was too busy and didn't spend many nights with Ye Yun. It made Ye Yun feel like a resentful and wanton woman.

So when Zhang Guodong briefly mentioned all the women, Ye Yun pursed her lips in jealousy, her eyes filled with a deep sense of resentment. Zheng Le, now Deputy Director Zheng, is the mother of twins, a boy and a girl; the father is naturally this young man. Ye Yun couldn't hide her surprise.

As a former public figure, Zheng Le was known to many. However, Ye Yun never imagined that this ordinary-looking man had managed to win over such a beautiful woman, and even father a child with her. Considering that Zheng Le was far more outstanding than herself, Ye Yun, though jealous, accepted it.

She was actually underestimating herself. Zhang Guodong's women are all very outstanding women.

Then there was another woman in politics, who was actually the executive deputy district head of the High-tech Zone. Good heavens, when did this young man become so popular? Gradually, Ye Yun listened attentively, and only Zhang Guodong spoke.

But this little man is really amazing!

Then there's Li Yun in the room. Ye Yun had naturally seen her earlier; she was definitely a stunning beauty, and younger than herself. All things considered, she was quite outstanding.

She felt a pang of sadness at her humble origins. Her only advantage now was that she had borne a child for the younger man. She was the mother of the Zhang family's second son. But what if those two women were also willing to have children for him in the future?

Ye Yun's mind raced, and her emotions fluctuated. She sensed a crisis.

However, Zhang Guodong did not realize that Ye Yun would be so anxious at this moment.

Ju Shi and the others are all very nice people, just like you, very kind women. You'll understand as you get to know them better! You might have guessed something; I'm not an ordinary person. Li Yun will tell you the details, but remember not to tell anyone else. Only my parents and my woman know all this. Even Xiao Die doesn't know anything yet.

Ye Yun felt incredibly sweet as she watched Zhang Guodong seemingly telling her some secrets. She readily agreed and looked at Zhang Guodong with tender affection.

Zhang Guodong was kicked out of the room. Ye Yun said it was a women's topic and men weren't allowed in. So Zhang Guodong was kicked out, and with a helpless wry smile, he wandered around the hotel.

Along the way, they encountered Vice President Liu. Vice President Liu naturally knew Zhang Guodong's identity, so he was very polite and respectful.

"Vice President Liu, have those people left?" Zhang Guodong suddenly remembered Xuan Qingxuan and the others, and asked casually.

"Two women left, but the rest are still here, having dinner in that deluxe room. They said they want to try Jiahao's signature dishes, and General Manager Ye instructed us to treat them well," Vice President Liu said respectfully. "Is there something you need, Mr. Zhang?"

"Oh? It's nothing, just asking. Go on with your work. Those people are all spoiled brats. Come on up," Zhang Guodong said with a slight smile.

"Up there?" Vice President Liu was taken aback. Up there in the provincial capital meant someone from Beijing. That was no ordinary playboy. But seeing Zhang Guodong's nonchalant attitude, Vice President Liu was even more surprised and puzzled.

It was clear that if Zhang Guodong hadn't intervened forcefully, causing some people to hesitate, things could have escalated into serious trouble. Vice President Liu immediately realized that the young boss's friend was no ordinary person. If he were merely the young boss's friend, he wouldn't have been able to control those people at all.

Which of the纨绔 (playboys) in the capital doesn't have a powerful figure behind them?

Thinking of this, Vice President Liu became even more respectful. With such a powerful figure like Jiahao taking care of him, who would dare to act recklessly? Nowadays, as Jiahao's food standards have improved, its status has also risen. Many people are proud to work at Jiahao. The staff here are indeed of a much higher status than those in other hotels.

"I've got Mr. Zhang's words in mind. I'll be going now. Please call a waiter if you need anything!"

After Vice President Liu left, Zhang Guodong shook his head and smiled helplessly. These hotel managers were all incredibly shrewd and adept at reading people. However, he didn't care whether he was too conspicuous.

His hidden strength had allowed him to be on equal footing with his opponent. He no longer needed to be as cautious as before.

The waiters who passed by looked at Zhang Guodong with a strange and admiring gaze, and some girls even blushed after just one glance at him.

Which girl doesn't dream of love? The fact that Zhang Guodong could suppress that gang of scoundrels means he has an even bigger background. No young woman wouldn't want to marry into a wealthy family.

Zhang Guodong experienced all of these changes firsthand.

Without realizing it, they had somehow arrived outside the luxurious room on the second floor. The sounds inside could be heard clearly. Of course, given Zhang Guodong's abilities, these conversations were truly undisguised. Only ordinary people outside the door couldn't hear them.

After listening for a while, Zhang Guodong frowned. Then he quietly walked away.

A week later, the Jiahao Hotel announced that due to a shortage of raw materials, it would reduce the supply of its signature dishes by nearly two-thirds. This made the signature dishes truly VIP dishes.

Upon hearing this news, Zhang Guodong breathed a sigh of relief and then left Taoyuan Xiaozhu alone, heading southwest.

Now that Jiahao's supply has decreased, although profits have also decreased somewhat, the risks have also been reduced considerably. Otherwise, if those planters were to set their sights on it, the problem would be much more serious. This was something Zhang Guodong overheard from Zhou Xie and the others' casual conversation, and it was an instinctive reaction.

While this method doesn't completely eliminate the risk, it significantly reduces the likelihood of it occurring.

This put his mind at ease, and he embarked on his journey to keep the appointment.

However, unlike the original route, he didn't venture into the deep mountains and forests. Instead, he leisurely traveled by train, car, and plane, passing through many cities and experiencing various local customs. After five days, Zhang Guodong finally arrived at the foot of a mountain of considerable altitude. The mountain's name was also relatively unknown: Langyue Peak.

Langyue Peak isn't very large, nor is it particularly high among the mountains of southwest China, standing at an altitude of 5,000 meters. However, a third of its area is covered in snow year-round, so upon reaching the foot of the mountain, one immediately feels the biting cold. Most people would need to wear thicker clothing.

Xuan Qingxuan's group needed to prepare to establish a market town, roughly located somewhere in the northwest. Zhang Guodong heard this from Qingzhu, but he wasn't interested in finding out the specifics.

Now that a clear line had been drawn, the rift between Zhang Guodong and Xuan Qingxuan and the others deepened even further. The elders and senior disciples looked down on him, which infuriated Zhang Guodong, fueling his anger. But it also ignited his fighting spirit.

The Imitation Market is essentially a place to earn crystals. Income sources include auction house commissions, entry fees, stall rentals, storefront rents, etc., and most of what you get is crystals.

But their scale doesn't seem large, at least not for now. And the imitation market that Liu Meigui and the others know, Zhang Guodong imagines, doesn't have a powerful backer behind it, so how could it be small?

Therefore, Zhang Guodong was very concerned about going to the Southwest Market with Liu Meigui and others this time.

The two sides agreed to meet on a mountain where the southwest meets the plateau. The choice of this location was indeed in line with the "style of a wise man," Zhang Guodong thought to himself with amusement.

Instead of staying in comfortable hotels, they chose to meet in such a remote and somewhat cold mountain area. I wonder who came up with this terrible idea. Of course, this bit of cold is nothing to a plant cultivator. Every plant cultivator carries a small gadget to protect themselves from the cold and dust.

"Still have to climb the mountain!" Zhang Guodong glanced at the seemingly high peak and sighed helplessly. With a light step, he sped up the mountain at the speed of a level 19 plant cultivator.

As he was soaring upwards, Zhang Guodong suddenly stopped and shot towards a tree with dense foliage, instantly disappearing from sight and holding his breath.

"Fortunately, the breakthrough in **power has also greatly improved the range of mental power coverage. Although the increase is not as great as before, it is now five thousand meters away, and it is more precise!"

Zhang Guodong was very satisfied with the benefits brought by these successive breakthroughs. His mental power coverage increased from two thousand meters to a radius of five thousand meters. Although this was a significant difference from the previously predicted increase, as the rate of increase in coverage was noticeably smaller than before, the feeling of having a more precise grasp of everything, even the slightest movement, was wonderful.

This could be considered a qualitative change resulting from quantitative change.

Now, Zhang Guodong dares to say that even if a level 50 expert were to intrude into this area, he could detect them immediately and have time to hide. This is a major advantage: a more precise radar. Under its protection, even the smallest detail has no chance of escape.

A moment later, a seemingly disheveled figure passed by, swaying as if seriously injured. But to Zhang Guodong's astonishment, this person wasn't fast; their escape speed was at most that of a level ten plant cultivator! This was truly surprising.

"Hey kid, stop right now, or I'll spare your life!" Behind them, two incredibly fast figures, one green and one red, were chasing after them. Their speed was far greater; they were clearly level 30 or higher!

The two landed and looked at the slow-moving figure ahead. Instead of rushing forward, they smiled, their expressions full of mockery.

"I wonder how this little black devil managed to get to the outside world. How did he survive that spatial rift? He's so lucky to even get a four-hundred-year-old medicinal herb from the outside!" The green-clad man grinned sinisterly, his face a grotesque mess of worms, sending chills down one's spine. His facial injuries were severe; he was likely badly disfigured.

"Heh heh, good luck? It should be us who are lucky. His level eleven or twenty cultivators are not qualified to obtain such precious medicinal herbs. It's his bad luck that he's dead!" The red-clothed man next to him laughed like an owl, which was extremely unpleasant.

Judging from their appearance, temperament, and tone of voice, these two are truly an outlier, rather violent and cruel pair.

Zhang Guodong, hidden in the tree, rolled his eyes. These two were incredibly narcissistic, and their words were even more amusing. "A complete corpse? What difference does it make whether you're a complete corpse or not after death? Just stop and wait to die?"

However, he became curious about the person ahead who was working hard but moving very slowly. How could a lowly cultivator of level eleven or twelve have managed to pass through the spatial rift without being killed?

"If you keep chasing me, I'll destroy these medicinal herbs! No one will get them!" The man in front said, his voice trembling, seemingly terrified yet filled with a sense of tragic resolve. "Let me go, and I'll leave the herbs behind once I get off the mountain. I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"Hmph!" The two men's expressions were grim. If they weren't worried about this kid destroying the medicinal herbs, they would have killed him long ago. They had noticed that four-hundred-year-old medicinal herbs were now worth twice as much as they had in the outside world.

"So that's how it is. No wonder he's allowed this low-level cultivator to run ahead even though his cultivation level has improved so much in the past two years!" Zhang Guodong understood.

"Brother, what should we do?" The man in red frowned and whispered to the man in green. This couldn't go on. "I think we should just kill him. I don't believe he'll have time to destroy those medicinal herbs!"

The ugly man in green narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent flashing within them, and said, "A decisive battle is too much of a waste of time!"

Note: Two chapters completed. Over 7,000 words of main text.

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