"More VIPs?" Peter Ling blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Right on cue, the doorman shouted out the newcomers' identities: "Samuel Su, patriarch of the Su Family from Harbor City, is here with his granddaughter Sophie Su! They've brought two three-hundred-year-old ginseng roots as offerings for the Ling Family's ancestral ceremony!"
The moment everyone heard about such a lavish gift, necks craned all over the hall.
Three-hundred-year-old ginseng? That's rare stuff—even the Tan and Xu Families would kill for it. Just this gift alone puts the Su Family on par with Jinling's top clans.
"The Su Family?" Most folks here didn't know much about them, but for Peter Ling, their name was legendary. Back in Harbor City, he was just a small-time trader; the Su Family was on a whole other level—untouchable, old money, a clan of scholars and herbalists. Peter tried to visit them a few times, but he never made the cut. Even now in Jinling, he still remembered the sting of being snubbed.
And the kicker? The Ling Family's roots are in Harbor City, so if nobody from there showed up for the ancestor ceremony, it'd be a total embarrassment. Now the Su Family had turned up uninvited—Peter was floored. He hustled over to greet them, heart pounding.
"Mr. Su! You came in person? If you'd given me a heads up, I would've rolled out the red carpet! You're basically Harbor City's top dog!" Peter Ling said, reaching out eagerly, like shaking Samuel Su's hand would be the highlight of his year.
But to his utter embarrassment, Samuel Su didn't even acknowledge him—he just walked straight toward Ryan Ling. Peter was left standing there, totally baffled.
And then came the real shocker: Samuel Su put both ginseng roots right in front of Ryan Ling's parents' spirit tablets. He and Sophie Su dropped to their knees and knocked their heads on the ground three times, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"They've arrived." Ryan Ling, who'd been quietly praying for his parents with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Compared to Peter Ling's excitement, he looked cool as a cucumber.
"Yeah, they're here." Samuel Su, for his part, showed Ryan Ling nothing but respect—even though the generational gap between them was pretty wild.
"Take a seat." Ryan Ling's expression barely changed, but he knew in his gut: Peter Ling was about to get wrecked.
"Dad, what the hell is going on? How did the Su Family end up cozying up to that little punk?" Tommy Ling blurted out, staring at Peter Ling.
"I get it now! That brat suddenly got strong, and somehow made it into Jinling University—turns out he's got the Su Family backing him!" Peter Ling suddenly acted like he'd cracked the code.
"So what do we do now?" Tommy Ling hesitated, his voice uncertain.
"Don't panic! So what if the Su Family sides with that little bastard? With our clout now, why should we be scared?" Peter Ling gritted his teeth, hatred for Ryan Ling boiling over. He never dreamed he'd get snubbed by the Su Family, while Ryan somehow landed their support.
"Sir, the auspicious hour is almost here. The master of ceremonies is waiting—should we get started?" the butler reminded him again, brisk and urgent.
Peter Ling nodded. Sure, there'd been a hiccup, but Ryan Ling's side only brought one family, while he'd invited over thirty. Compared to that, Ryan was still just a nobody.
Peter Ling cleared his throat, ready to make a grand announcement—when suddenly the doorman shouted again: "More VIPs! Leonard Liu, president of Harbor City Martial Arts Association! Jason Lin, Axe Club boss! Harvey 'Million' Jin, Peachvale County's jade king! Warren Yang, chairman of Goldtripod Group from Valor City! Senior officials from Tranquil City..."
The doorman was practically out of breath—there were more than a dozen big shots arriving all at once. It wasn't just Harbor City; reps from all seven southern cities in East River Province were flooding in.
"Whoa, what is this? Peter, your connections are insane—all the big shots from back home showed up! Seriously, this is wild!" Peter Ling's father-in-law was practically bouncing with excitement.
Down below, Tommy Ling and the other kids were totally dumbfounded. They hadn't invited any of these people.
Peter Ling's face went pale. So many local VIPs had shown up that he basically had to roll out the red carpet himself. Even the Jinling crowd looked surprised—sure, plenty of wannabe tycoons had held ancestor ceremonies at Goldridge Confucius Temple before, hoping to boost their family's status, but most were small-time. Today's turnout was next-level.
"Old Peter, aren't you gonna greet them? With a scene like this, you gotta open the main gate of Goldridge Confucius Temple!" The Tan Family folks nudged him—being one of Jinling's top ten clans, they knew all about proper ceremony.
"Alright, I'm on it!" Peter Ling felt totally put on the spot, but he had no choice. He rushed forward to greet the guests.
"Welcome, honored guests from back home, I'm Peter Ling—" He barely got his hand up before the whole group ignored him and headed straight for Ryan Ling.
In an instant, Peter Ling's whole family shot to their feet. Tommy Ling and Ling Tao's eyes went wide. They'd always thought Ryan Ling was just a broke loser, but now? They were starting to realize they'd been way off.
"All units, kneel!" Leonard Liu, president of Harbor City Martial Arts Association, barked as he reached Ryan Ling's side. Instantly, everyone dropped to their knees before Ryan's parents' spirit tablets, the sound echoing through the hall.
"Kowtow! Make it loud!" Leonard Liu shouted, his voice booming so hard it nearly shattered eardrums.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—the stone tiles on the floor cracked under the force of so many foreheads.
Even the elderly temple keeper at Goldridge Confucius Temple came out to look—he hadn't seen a ritual this intense in years.
But then, something even crazier happened. After bowing to the tablets, the whole crew turned and knelt before Ryan Ling.
"Bow! Kowtow to Master Ling—make it loud!" Leonard Liu's voice was even louder this time. Honestly, anyone watching knew Ryan Ling deserved it; without him, Harbor City would've been toast. His achievements were sky-high.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—this time, the noise was even louder. Everyone's forehead started bleeding, but they looked proud, like they would've kept bowing if they could.
"Alright, that's enough. Get up and find a seat." Ryan Ling didn't move—he just flicked his hand. Nobody dared disobey; they all sat behind him, treating him like he was their own ancestor.
[Scene break]
"Bro, something's off. How does that kid know so many people? Should we still go for it? Crow said we had to help Peter Ling take him down, or East Star loses face!" whispered one of the East Star gang guys.
"Yeah, Scarface was our brother, and he got killed! If we back down, how's East Star supposed to look in Jinling?"
"Forget it—Crow just gave the order to call off the plan for now. Let's wait and see. Looks like that kid's got some serious connections!"
[Scene break]
Nearby, the East Star guys started whispering among themselves, clearly shaken by Ryan Ling's sudden show of power.
Word got to Peter Ling fast. He clenched his teeth so hard he nearly spat blood. He never would've guessed that after just a few years, Ryan Ling had made so many powerful friends.
What the hell did he do?
That nephew he'd never paid attention to—not once in all these years. Now, looking at the scene, Peter realized Ryan had really made it big.
He was starting to feel like Ryan Ling was almost on his level.
"Dad, maybe we should just drop the plan. That kid looks way too dangerous now!" Ling Tao stammered, voice shaking.
"Drop it? You think I'm scared of him? I'm a Jinling noble now! Who does he think he is? No matter how many people show up, none of them can compare to me!" Peter Ling nearly exploded when his son suggested giving up.
Why did I go to all this trouble for the ancestor ceremony? To slap that kid in the face! Quit halfway? Back down to him? No way!
Peter Ling was dead set on not canceling anything. In his eyes, Ryan Ling still wasn't worthy of being his opponent...