"Wishing Elder Yue of the Yue Family fortune as vast as the East Sea and longevity as enduring as the southern mountains, may you celebrate this day every year, and enjoy every morning of every year!"

Jiang Chen timely stood up, cupped his fists, and conveyed his congratulations to Yue Shaoting.

"Wishing Elder Yue of the Yue Family fortune as vast as the East Sea and longevity as enduring as the southern mountains, may you celebrate this day every year, and enjoy every morning of every year!"

Everyone stood up one after another and voiced their congrats in unison.

After the crowd's congratulatory words had fallen, everyone then realized that surprisingly, their congratulatory phrases were all the same, having unconsciously followed Jiang Chen's lead.

While the crowd was offering their congratulations, the Zhou Family also stood up to do so, but they were taken aback by the synchronized congratulations from the crowd and watched, dumbfounded, as everyone recited their greetings in unison like a well-trained chorus.

The Zhou Family members exchanged glances with incredulous looks, their gazes towards Jiang Chen growing more complex, and within that complexity, a hint of hopeful expectation emerged!

"Indeed, allies are of one mind, all so telepathic!"

Jiang Chen awkwardly laughed.

He was well aware of why everyone had offered congrats so uniformly, and he couldn't help but mentally grumble:

Can't you all not do this? Today is Elder Yue's birthday, and with this, I... I didn't mean to steal the spotlight!

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha..."

A burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the banquet hall.

"Ha ha, please take your seats, everyone; the banquet begins!" Yue Taizhong chuckled lightly and called out.

The younger members of the Yue Family began standing up and descending from upstairs, and soon after, a series of exquisite dishes were brought to the table.

"Young Jiang, you must've come to crash Elder Yue's party, right? Why does it feel like you're the protagonist today? Did you do it on purpose?" Old Master Tang looked at Jiang Chen teasingly.

"It's not that..." Jiang Chen replied with an exasperated smile, then turned his head with an apologetic look towards Yue Shaoting: "Elder Yue, I'm sorry, I..."

"Ha ha, Mr. Jiang, no need to feel sorry. I'm genuinely pleased that you have such influence. It truly befits..."

Yue Shaoting suddenly stopped, casting a sidelong glance at the Zhou Family's table without finishing his sentence.

Was Yue Shaoting referring to the Dragon Descendant?

In his mind, Jiang Chen automatically completed Yue Shaoting's sentence.

Right after, Jiang Chen began to wonder: The Dragon Descendant... should have such influence? What exactly is the Dragon Descendant?

"Old Master, I toast to you!"

After the food and drinks were served, people took turns toasting Yue Shaoting. The first to do so was a young man from the Zhou Family.

After toasting, the young man turned to Jiang Chen, smiled, and said: "Head of the Jiang Family, I am Zhou Liecheng, the heir to the Zhou Family. On the 16th of next month, my Zhou Family will hold a grand ancestral worship ceremony. I hope Head of the Jiang Family can grace us with your presence."

"Of course, I shall definitely attend." Jiang Chen smiled lightly and nodded.

"Head of the Jiang Family can come a few days earlier; I'll take you around." Zhou Liecheng spoke with a suggestive look in his eyes.

Jiang Chen was momentarily taken aback and then nodded slightly: "Okay."

Being invited to attend the ancestral worship ceremony seemed ordinary enough, but being asked to come a few days earlier made Jiang Chen feel something was off. They didn't have any personal connections, so this sudden warmth didn't seem to him to have anything to do with the alliance between the families.

"Mr. Jiang is still unfamiliar with the members of the Zhou Family, right? Allow me to introduce you." Yue Wujie seized the opportunity to interject and stood up, heading toward the Zhou Family's table.

Jiang Chen stood up and walked towards the Zhou Family's table as instructed.

Buzz! Buzz!

Two extremely covert auras emanated from Jiang Chen, quietly enveloping several individuals from the Zhou Family.

Yue Shaoting's eyes subtly changed. He picked up his teacup and slowly sipped, yet his mind was locked onto Jiang Chen, ready to leap to his side once Jiang Chen's probing was detected.

Old Master Tang glanced at Jiang Chen, about to speak with Yue Shaoting, but noticing Yue Shaoting's unusual behavior, his eyes darted and an interested expression appeared on his face as he turned back to look at Jiang Chen.

Seeing Yue Wujie and Jiang Chen approaching, with the exception of the two eldest, the rest of the Zhou Family members stood up.

"This is the Zhou Family patriarch, Mr. Zhou Wenchang, and this elderly gentleman is Mr. Zhou Wuliang. Here is the Zhou Family Head, Mr. Zhou Jiang, and these four are the Zhou Family enforcers: Mr. Li Tian, Mr. Wang Ming, Mr. Chen Dong, Mr. Feng Liang," Yue Wujie introduced each individual from the Zhou Family.

"It's an honor to meet Mr. Zhou Wenchang, Mr. Zhou Wuliang, Head of the Zhou Family, and the four esteemed enforcers," Jiang Chen greeted with a smile and a fist-and-palm salute.

Members of the Zhou Family returned the gesture, with Zhou Jiang chuckling, "Head of the Jiang Family is quite the prodigy at such a young age!"

"You flatter me, Head of the Zhou Family," Jiang Chen replied with a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Chen and Yue Wujie returned to the main table.

Yue Shaoting turned his head to look at Jiang Chen, who gave a slight nod.

Yue Shaoting's expression subtly changed, and his face grew a bit graver.

"Young Jiang, let's have a chat after the birthday banquet; it's been a long while since I've seen you," Old Master Tang hinted.

Jiang Chen responded with a gentle smile, "Certainly, after the banquet, I would like to invite the honored elders to the loft where I am staying for a chat."

The elders were briefly stunned, their expressions changed, and they all nodded lightly with a chuckle.

Since Old Master Tang had suggested having a chat, everyone was naturally going to join in, which provided a good chance to discuss certain matters. Jiang Chen's subsequent invitation seemed to have a more profound implication!

The elders glanced at the Zhou Family members, interpreting Jiang Chen's intentions to speak with them about Zhou Family matters based on the recent situation.

The banquet progressed towards the end amidst outward cheerfulness and joy among the guests.

Jiang Chen glanced over at the Zhou Family members, his eyes darting as he took out his phone to send a text message.

Ding Ding!

A notification tone rang out. Leng Ming took out his phone to read the message and showed a trace of surprise before turning to look at Jiang Chen. However, Jiang Chen was not looking at him, but instead was clinking glasses and drinking with the Yue Family patriarch.

With a thought, Leng Ming's lips curved into a sly smile as he rose and walked over to the Zhou Family's table.

"Hey, Zhou Liecheng, don't leave after this; I had such a thrilling fight with you at your place last time. They always go easy on me at home, and it's never satisfying. Since we've met again this time, let's have another bout," Leng Ming said, draping an arm over Zhou Liecheng's shoulder with a wicked grin.

Zhou Liecheng was taken aback and turned to look at Mr. Zhou Wenchang.

Mr. Zhou Wenchang's eyes flickered, and he responded with a light laugh, "Go have fun with Leng Ming. It's been quite a while since we visited the Yue Family. We'll stay here tonight and leave tomorrow."

The four enforcers all showed a change of expression, reflexively glancing at Jiang Chen, but seeing that he was not looking their way, their eyes revealed a hint of confusion as they remained silent.

"Great, the patriarch sure is straightforward. Let's settle on that and prepare yourself for a thrashing!"

Leng Ming eagerly agreed with a brazen smile, patting Zhou Liecheng's shoulder before turning to return to his own table.

At this moment, the others still did not understand Leng Ming's sudden and rash action.

Only Jiang Chen watched from the side, with the corners of his mouth lightly curled up.

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