Chapter 24: Wealth and Magnificence

A few minutes later, Zhang Wenhe’s Shenjiu phone rang. He answered immediately.

“Hello! Did you find anything?”

“Of course I did! My Lord Wolf Fang, do you still doubt my fox demon hacking skills?”

“Cut the nonsense. Send me the information quickly. I want to see who this guy really is.”

“My Lord Wolf Fang, I worked so hard to dig up this information. Aren’t you going to show me some sympathy?”

“Don’t worry, I know what’s fair. The million dollars I got last time in Africa, my share is yours.”

“As expected of the Wolf King, so generous! This little lady gratefully accepts!”

“Alright, enough chatter. Send the data.”

“On it~!”

Zhang Wenhe’s phone screen lit up, and he opened the file.

“Ling Xiao, son of the Ling family in Jiangzhou.”

“His father is a renowned miracle doctor of Jiangcheng, kind and well-liked, with an excellent reputation. But three years ago, the Ling family was destroyed, Ling Xiao’s legs were broken, and he was abandoned deep in the mountains.”

“This kid really has had it rough. But in just three years, how could a cripple become a young master? And even have my grandfather bow before him? He’s probably another fraud. The Wolf King will expose him!”

Just as he was speaking, Zhang Daochu rushed out anxiously.

“Wenhe, the family factory is on fire. Grandfather must go check on it. Take good care of the young master, and don’t cause him any trouble! Do you understand?”

Zhang Wenhe waved a large hand.

“Don’t worry, Grandfather! I promise to fulfill the task!”

“Alright, you’ll host the young master. I need to hurry.”

“Go, go. Fire is serious.”

Zhang Wenhe waved him off, and when his grandfather disappeared from sight, he wore a smug little smile.

“Heh heh… I’ll be sure to take good care of him!”

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and sauntered leisurely into the villa.

He settled onto the sofa, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and assumed the full posture of a boss.

“I heard Grandfather say you’re some kind of young master?”

Ling Xiao frowned slightly. Though they were about the same age, Zhang Wenhe clearly had a childish temperament and spoke with arrogance. It annoyed him a little, but Xiu’er spoke up in his stead:

“My young master is the heir of Ghost Valley. Show some respect when you speak!”

Zhang Wenhe chuckled, flicking ash from his cigarette.

“Alright, alright. You’re guests of the Zhang family, after all. Someone, serve tea for the young master.”

“Sir, Master already served tea to this gentleman just now!”

“That’s nothing. Bring out the best tea Grandpa gave me!”

“Yes, sir!”

A maid quickly came forward to brew tea. Zhang Wenhe took a cup and smiled lightly.

“This tea is the exclusive Da Hong Pao from Wuyi Mountain, the finest of its kind. Only the top one or two leaves are picked and processed through eighteen steps. Ordinary people can’t taste it. Try it—it’s excellent. Once you leave the Zhang family, you probably won’t have another chance!”

With that, he took a hearty sip, closing his eyes in bliss.

“Marvelous! Good tea is truly different. One sip leaves its fragrance lingering all the way to your gut. Why aren’t you drinking? Go on, drink up! Grandpa only gave me one or two, so don’t waste it!”

Ling Xiao remained silent, while Xiu’er, unable to hold back any longer, finally spoke:

“This tea… my young master only uses it to soak his feet, never to drink.”

Zhang Wenhe was enjoying his tea, but at these words, he suddenly spat it out.

“Pfft—! Cough, cough…!”

He coughed violently, pounding his chest, his face flushed from the shock.

“You—! What did you just say? Soak his feet? Who are you fooling? Do you know the price of this cup of Da Hong Pao? Just one cup costs at least ten thousand yuan!”

“Ten thousand yuan? Is that expensive?”

Xiu’er furrowed her brows, puzzled.

Zhang Wenhe was dumbfounded. Ten thousand yuan wasn’t much for their wealthy circles, but it depended on what it was spent on! This was just a cup of tea! For a glass of water to cost ten thousand yuan—even after years of roaming Africa and earning untold dollars, he wouldn’t call it cheap.

And yet the other party dismissed it so scornfully!

Pretending. Absolutely pretending.

Zhang Wenhe narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself.

“A true veteran among conmen! If it were anyone else, they’d be excited and give themselves away at the mention of this tea. But this kid is calm, and his act is convincing!”

“And that maid’s performance is impressive, matching him stride for stride! Looks like today I’m facing real experts!”

At this thought, Zhang Wenhe even felt a hint of admiration for Ling Xiao.

To pull off such a convincing act, he couldn’t be ordinary. But a conman is a conman, and if Zhang Wenhe didn’t expose Ling Xiao, what would happen to the reputation of the Wolf King of Africa?

Just as he was thinking this, Ling Xiao picked up the teacup before him, lifted the lid, and before even sipping, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Catching the scent, Zhang Wenhe was stunned.

“What a fragrance! This tea aroma… this tea aroma…”

Xiu’er said calmly,

“Purple Gold Dragon Scale.”

“Hiss~!” Zhang Wenhe drew in a sharp breath, eyes wide.

“Purple Gold Dragon Scale? Isn’t that the second-ranked tea on the Celestial Tea List of Huaxia?”

Xiu’er nodded.

“That’s right.”

“My god, I’ve only ever heard of it! They say this tea has been passed down for a thousand years, a relic from the Qin dynasty. One gram costs a million dollars, and you can’t even find it on the market! Is this the real thing?”

Xiu’er frowned.

“Whether it’s genuine or not, I can’t say. But my young master never drinks coarse tea. Anything less than six hundred thousand per gram, he simply won’t touch.”

As she spoke, Ling Xiao sipped the tea. Xiu’er smiled brightly.

“My young master drank it, so it must be genuine!”

Zhang Wenhe gulped, moved beside Ling Xiao, crouching next to the sofa, staring at him eagerly.

“So… is it good?”

Ling Xiao’s brows twitched, answering coolly,

“It’s alright. The water used for this cup isn’t good. Normally, Purple Gold Dragon Scale should be brewed with water from the Heavenly Lake in Snow Mountain, boiled three times to release the flavor and remove impurities. But to transport lake water here, it would cost at least twenty million to keep it fresh.”

“My god, just for a cup of tea, the cost of transporting water is higher than the tea itself?”

Xiu’er frowned again.

“Twenty million—is that expensive?”

Zhang Wenhe nearly spat blood. Damn, are these two really con artists? Why does he feel so provincial by comparison?