A succession battle for the position of Family Head, filled with internal and external troubles, was thus abruptly resolved. Chen Yuxin nearly simultaneously addressed both internal and external worries regarding the succession. This event caused a sensation in the Yanjing business community at the time. It seemed that overnight, the Chen family had changed hands, and a series of measures secured the position of the new Family Head. If one said there was no premeditation, it must have been a joke.
"The position of a family head is not easy to occupy. Taking over the role often reveals vulnerabilities, like the emperors of the past during dynastic changes who inevitably faced internal chaos or external threats. However, the Chen family experienced no such thing. Qian’er, now you can see how capable that Miss Chen is," Wang Liang spoke earnestly. Anyone in a high position surely has their strengths. Whether Chen Yuxin was such a person was not determined earlier, but now, the result speaks for itself.
"She indeed has her own set of skills," Wang Qian said lightly.
"I fear that when Miss Chen reaches my age, she might be even more difficult to deal with than us old timers," Wang Liang sighed, seemingly recalling Wang Hai, a spoiled rich kid who made some fair-weather friends and, aside from some youthful indulgences, was hardly capable of supporting the weight of the Wang Family. In comparison to Chen Yuxin, he fell short.
Anyone with cunning has ambitions. One wonders, twenty years from now, whether the Wang Family might be swallowed up by Chen Yuxin. This question still bears a big question mark.
At this moment, Wang Liang failed to notice the slight change in Wang Qian’s expression.
"Father, do you think I am inferior to Chen Yuxin?" Wang Qian’s tone carried a mix of displeasure, expectation, and reluctance.
"At least for now, you are no match for her."
Wang Qian wanted to argue, but indeed had no convincing facts. Chen Yuxin had been managing the Chen family for years with steadily increasing strength, while Wang Qian had just returned to the country and had yet to accomplish anything.
"Alright, that’s enough for today. You go handle the company affairs," Wang Liang sighed, lowering his head to continue with his paperwork, and Wang Qian didn’t say more, turning to leave.
South America, Rainforest.
This is a typical tropical rainforest climate, meaning that regardless of season, there is substantial rainfall, and now, a torrential downpour was eroding this rainforest.
"Are you okay?" Ye Shikai and Ji Qian, both wearing raincoats, kept walking deeper into the rainforest. The heavy rain was a test for all explorers and could be considered a "beast" in its own right.
"I’m fine," Ji Qian said flatly. Though the raincoat was waterproof, the rain was too heavy, with drops not only falling from above but also bouncing up from puddles, splashing upwards.
"Let’s find a place to shelter from the rain first," Ye Shikai suggested, looking around with a more serious expression. Continuing this way was too uncomfortable, and inefficient. It was better to stop for now.
Ye Shikai took out a large tent from his Storage Ring. The two changed into dry clothes inside and waited quietly for the rain to stop.
"Drip, drip, drip." While they waited for the rain to stop, Ji Qian did not forget to mark and measure on the map, like a female general going into battle, strategizing from afar.
"We should be very close to the center. I want to head there as soon as the rain stops," Ji Qian said with a hint of joy in her tone. They had been walking for over a day and were finally nearing their destination.
"Yeah, I agree," Ye Shikai nodded, feeling somewhat puzzled. Logically, the deeper they went, the stronger the Inner Strength of the beasts should be. However, the deeper they went, the calmer it seemed, and they hadn’t even encountered any small animals.
Let it be. It’s actually for the best if we encounter nothing.
Ye Shikai didn’t continue the thought. Since they had reached deep into the area, finding the awakening fruit would suffice. Why bother with anything else?
"By now, Soul Destroyer should have met up with the people sent by the Ghost," Ji Qian remarked lightly.
"Yes, now it’s up to us."
Once the rain stopped and the sun shone, the accumulated water quickly disappeared. Ye Shikai and Ji Qian continued to push towards their target deep in the forest.
We’re almost there, just a little longer.
"Look over there!" At that moment, Ji Qian excitedly tugged at Ye Shikai’s sleeve, pointing forcefully towards the distance.
"We’ve made it," Ye Shikai’s lips slowly curled up. In the distance, a gigantic tree stood towering among the forest, with its top piercing into the clouds, seemingly connected to the blue sky. The sight filled their hearts with awe. Such a huge tree was rare and unique in the world, and at a glance, it seemed as big as a skyscraper. The trees nearby, although over ten meters tall, seemed trivial in comparison, like numerous infants beside a giant.
"The giant tree is real," Ji Qian said excitedly, the records in ancient books were actually true, suggesting that the awakening fruit must exist too.
"What are we waiting for, let’s hurry over," Ye Shikai appeared even more excited. How tall or thick the tree was did not concern him; he only cared whether it had the awakening fruit.
"Yeah, let’s go down now," Ji Qian smiled, nodding. The slope they were on allowed them to quickly rush down, and Ye Shikai was even more eagerly sprinting towards the giant tree.
"Bang." Suddenly, a javelin fell from the sky, planting itself right in front of Ye Shikai, nearly piercing his forehead; the two involuntarily flinched. What was that?
All at once, a slim figure leaped down from a tree, jumping from a height of over ten meters without any cushioning, directly landing. On closer inspection, it was a young girl dressed in green, what shocked them even more were her long, sharp ears and fair skin - this couldn’t be an elf, could it?
"What’s going on?" Ye Shikai couldn’t help but exclaim. Suddenly, from the surrounding trees, about a dozen young girls in green jumped down, each holding a long spear and vigilantly fixing their gaze on the two.
"Do no rash actions, these are unfriendly visitors," Ji Qian, gripping her magic wand, cautiously surveyed the dozen or so girls around them.
Three minutes passed.
"Cough, are these people mute? It’s kind of awkward just standing here," Ye Shikai lightly coughed, speaking softly.
"Idiot, you’re the mute. Who are you two?" Suddenly, the girl in front shouted.