Actually, Ling Zhenfei acted this way solely to avoid any misunderstandings with Su Wanlong, believing that since they needed to cooperate, they must be honest with each other.

Su Wanlong had warned Ling Zhenfei to be extra cautious, describing Wei Bingzhong as ruthless and merciless and firmly advised him not to fall into Wei's schemes.

The train soon arrived at the Provincial City. Wearing a mask and sunglasses, Ling Zhenfei exited the train station, but he was still recognized by people arranged by Wei Bingzhong and was invited into a car, which then headed towards Zongheng International.

The car finally stopped not far from Zongheng International, at a restaurant that looked very upscale yet had its own distinctive style; it was an eco-hotel.

Upon entering, Ling Zhenfei was slightly surprised. The standards of this eco-hotel were exceptionally high. Inside, there were numerous tropical plants, he even saw coconut trees and rubber trees. There were artificial hills and flowing water, making Ling Zhenfei almost feel as if he had stepped into the tropics, had it not been indoors.

It was noon by then, and he had expected the place to be bustling, but it was quite empty instead; the entire eco-hotel had been booked by Wei Bingzhong, and a large group of waitstaff were all waiting to serve the guests at their table.

As soon as he walked into the eco-hotel, someone personally greeted him, clearly having been arranged in advance, and Ling Zhenfei was directly led behind the artificial hill.

Behind the hill stood an incredibly large tree, its trunk could be embraced by two people. Ling Zhenfei did not know what kind of tree it was, but its lush, verdant crown was quite spectacular.

Having such a large tree inside was truly a significant expense.

Right below this tree, there was a table set up. Behind the table sat a man, and behind this man stood two others dressed in black suits, both stout and seemingly bodyguards of the man.

Hearing Ling Zhenfei entering, the seated man quickly stood up, smiling at Ling Zhenfei, and said, "Divine Doctor Ling, you have finally arrived."

Ling Zhenfei knew this man must be Wei Bingzhong. Wei appeared to be in his forties, with a seemingly kind face, but the gleam in his eyes was somewhat frightening. Having seen many people, Ling Zhenfei could tell that Wei Bingzhong was definitely a heartless and merciless man.

"Li Hao, Boss Wei." As their hands clasped together, Ling Zhenfei was again startled; it turned out Wei Bingzhong was a Spiritual Cultivator.

There was no visible flow of Northern Spiritual Energy around Wei Bingzhong's body, but as soon as Ling Zhenfei touched his hand, he felt Spiritual Power, and it was not weak, indicating that Wei was a master.

Hiding one's own Northern Spiritual Energy this cleanly could be done in only two ways: one is by having immense strength that could conceal the energy, and the other was possessing some talisman that concealed Spiritual Power.

Ling Zhenfei was at the Zhiyi state level four, but he had not yet managed to completely hide his Northern Spiritual Energy; thus, he felt that Wei Bingzhong must have a talisman that concealed Spiritual Power.

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Wei Bingzhong led Ling Zhenfei to take their seats facing each other, and someone brought over tea. Ling Zhenfei was indeed thirsty and started drinking without hesitation.

"Mr. Ling is truly a trustworthy man, which I admire," said Wei Bingzhong.

Setting down his teacup, Ling Zhenfei looked at Wei Bingzhong and said, smiling, "Boss Wei, you know I am not here today to exchange courtesies. You should be clear about what I want to know."

Smiling amiably, Wei Bingzhong said, "Of course, I have something very important to discuss with Divine Doctor Ling, but let's not rush things. Today we can take our time."

With that, Wei Bingzhong clapped his hands, and seconds later, a person emerged from a door nearby, quickly approaching the two of them.

Ling Zhenfei looked over at the person and was shocked; he hadn't expected the visitor to be Manager Wang from Zongheng International Auction House.

Manager Wang was certainly not someone Ling Zhenfei could forget— even more, he was a source of anger in his heart. Originally, Ling Zhenfei had taken his own Breakthrough Pill to Manager Wang, planning to auction it at Zongheng International.

At that time, Elder Zheng and Zheng Tingting had already spoken to Manager Wang, and everything was made very clear. Who could have imagined Ling Zhenfei would end up being humiliated by Manager Wang? It was because of this reason that Ling Zhenfei had made up his mind to ensure Dragon Tiger Storm would crush Zongheng International.

Seeing Manager Wang again stirred up past memories, and Ling Zhenfei immediately felt a surge of anger, but he was no child and could only endure it, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Divine Doctor Ling, I asked around only to find out that you originally came to the provincial city planning to auction an item at our Zongheng International, but my people rejected it because it was untested, right?"

Wei Bingzhong spoke lightly, but Ling Zhenfei found it amusing, as if he was being too sensitive.

"If it's not accepted then so be it, but I was thoroughly humiliated by Manager Wang here, truly dragging my reputation through the mud."

After hearing this, Wei Bingzhong's face immediately turned somber, and he looked toward Manager Wang and said, "Old Wang, Divine Doctor Ling isn't mistaken, is he?"

Manager Wang, breaking out in cold sweat, wiped his forehead as he said, "Boss, it's true I drove him out, but I didn't humiliate him, you have to believe me."

Wei Bingzhong sneered, "Old Wang, you've been here long enough, you should know what the punishment for this is."

Manager Wang clearly understood what the punishment meant, and he collapsed to the ground in fright, screaming, "Boss Wei, please give me another chance, I know I was wrong, I beg you."

Seeing that Wei Bingzhong did not respond, Manager Wang then turned to plead with Ling Zhenfei, "Divine Doctor Ling, I know I was wrong, may you not remember the offenses of us lesser beings, I am just a lesser being, please plead with Boss Wei on my behalf, I will repay you with my service."

Ling Zhenfei, observing Manager Wang's state, felt an inexplicable pleasure but said nothing, merely taking a sip of tea from his cup.

Wei Bingzhong also said nothing, simply waving his hand casually.

But that was enough. The two men in black who had been standing behind Wei Bingzhong, as if signaled, directly went over and seized Manager Wang, one of them pulling out a dagger from his waist.

The man in black grabbed Manager Wang's ear, and the dagger moved as fast as lightning, slicing off Manager Wang's ear in an instant.

"Ah!"

"It's killing me, it's killing me," Manager Wang screamed in agony, struggling desperately, but unable to break free from the man in black's grip.

The man holding the dagger then grabbed Manager Wang's other ear, and with a swift motion, cut it off as well.

The unbearable pain caused Manager Wang to faint on the spot, and with a wave of his hand, Wei Bingzhong had someone carry Manager Wang away.

Ling Zhenfei was slightly shocked inside; he had just seen how ruthless Wei Bingzhong was, but he hadn't expected to witness it so soon.

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