The sun moved quickly and in the blink of an eye, it had already risen above their heads.
The Shi family's largest medicine hall was already crowded with guests. Basically, all of Maple City's reputable figures had been invited by the Shi family.
As the chief of Maple City's Beast Appraisal Association, Tan Lin held a high position and the Shi family would never forget her presence.
However, due to Tan Lin's busy schedule, she might not have the time to come. Since she was free today, she decided to drop by after receiving the invitation.
It was also because the Shi family's invitation was very mysterious, saying that they had a rare medicinal pill to introduce.
As for what the pill was, the Shi family didn't elaborate. Instead, it whetted everyone's appetite.
Tan Lin naturally knew about the two major local medicine halls. She also knew that her previous chief, Wang Ji, was working with the Chen family.
Back when Tan Lin investigated Wang Ji's violations, she couldn't find any loopholes in the supply of medicinal ingredients. Moreover, she carefully checked the Chen family's medicinal ingredients and found that they were up to standard, so she didn't replace them.
After all, in Maple City, only the Chen and Shi families had the ability to supply the Beast Appraisal Association with medicinal ingredients. The other small fries didn't have the ability to do so.
Tan Lin had heard about the recent infighting between the Shi and Chen families. Based on the current situation, the Chen family was ruthless and had forced the Shi family into a corner. If the Shi family, an established family in Maple City, couldn't come up with a countermeasure after this defeat, they would never be able to recover from this setback. Even if they didn't fall, they wouldn't be able to return to their former glory. In fact, they might not even be as good as they were now.
Hence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was a battle of life and death between the two families.
Tan Lin's attire was out of the ordinary. She had always been cold and beautiful, and with the sleeves of her official Rank 2 beast appraiser robe, she was immediately recognized.
Shi Wenjun almost immediately went up to greet her.
"Welcome, President Tan. Your presence brings light to our humble home." Shi Wenjun was very courteous to Tan Lin.
Tan Lin smiled and returned the courtesy. "You're too kind, Lord Shi. I came as soon as I received your invitation. Sorry for disturbing you."
Shi Wenjun hurriedly said that she wouldn't dare. At the same time, she ushered Tan Lin in, then sat down at a table and made tea.
"Chief Tan, this is the first time we've met and I've long admired you. Appraiser Lin and I are good friends and I've often heard him mention you," Shi Wenjun said politely.
These words were mainly meant to improve the relationship between the two of them. In reality, it was just a matter of listening. However, when Tan Lin heard this, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Appraiser Lin? Lin Jin? "
"That's right, Appraiser Lin Jin!"
At Shi Wenjun's confirmation, Tan Lin smiled and asked, "Lord Shi, are you good friends with Appraiser Lin?"
Shi Wenjun nodded.
She and Lin Jin were indeed friends, there was no doubt about that. Of course, it was hard to say how deep their friendship was. After all, the Shi family was relying on Lin Jin now. In fact, this battle that determined the Shi family's fate was all thanks to Lin Jin's prescription.
Hence, other than friendship, Shi Wenjun also owed Lin Jin a favor.
"We're not just good friends. Our Shi family owes Appraiser Lin a great debt of gratitude," Shi Wenjun said seriously. It was obvious that she was speaking from the bottom of her heart.
This piqued Tan Lin's curiosity.
However, she didn't ask about this matter in detail. If it was something that couldn't be said, it would be very awkward to ask about it.
Even if she had to ask, she had to familiarize herself with him first.
Hence, Tan Lin asked another question she was concerned about. Or rather, this question concerned her even more than the previous one.
"Lord Shi, may I know what Appraiser Lin mentioned about me?"
Tan Lin looked at Shi Wenjun expectantly.
Shi Wenjun's heart skipped a beat.
She mused, 'I was just being courteous. Appraiser Lin has been here several times but he never once mentioned you, Chief Tan. How am I supposed to answer this sudden question?'
Shi Wenjun was the head of the Shi family. Had it been anyone else, they would have given themselves away by now. Even if they were distracted for a moment, the observant Tan Lin would be able to see through them.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shi Wenjun said naturally, "Appraiser Lin told me that Chief Tan is young and promising. Although she's a woman, she's responsible and capable. The Beast Appraisal Association is much better now than when Wang Ji was in charge."
Tan Lin smiled, clearly enjoying the compliment. "What else did he say?"
Shi Wenjun cursed herself for talking too much. But it was too late to back down now so she could only continue making up stories.
Of course, she wasn't just making things up. She was telling the truth based on her understanding of Lin Jin.
Then, Shi Wenjun added, "Appraiser Lin didn't say much else. He just said that Chief Tan is an outstanding beauty and that he admires you."
'This shouldn't be wrong. '
Shi Wenjun mused. Appraiser Lin was also young and promising. He wasn't married yet, and despite how beautiful Chief Tan was, she was only two or three years older than Appraiser Lin. Under normal circumstances, Appraiser Lin would definitely pay attention to her looks.
If that was the case, it couldn't be wrong.
Praising a woman's beauty would never go wrong.
Tan Lin blushed when she heard this, and she said in a low voice, "Why does that guy talk about everything to others, but never in front of me? Every time he sees me, he talks about business. I thought he really didn't care about women's looks. But come to think of it, he must be close to this Shi Wenjun. Otherwise, why would he tell her about this? "
Suddenly, a thought crossed Tan Lin's mind. She took a closer look at Shi Wenjun.
Other than being a few years older than Tan Lin, Shi Wenjun's looks were on par with hers. She even had a more mature charm to her.
Tan Lin seemed to have thought of something as she spat softly.
While Tan Lin and Shi Wenjun were chatting happily, guests began arriving one after another.
As the family head, Shi Wenjun had to welcome them personally. Hence, after apologizing, she went to greet the other guests.
The Zu family and the Gao family were here. Even the City Lord Manor had sent their chief officer, Zuo Wentang, to keep up appearances.
It could be said that basically all the influential people and forces in Maple City were here.
Just by looking at the atmosphere, it was a grand occasion.
Just then, Chen Wenlin and Wu Chenwei arrived.
As a rising force in Maple City in recent years, the Chen family attracted quite a bit of attention. Most importantly, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the Shi and Chen families were engaged in an open and veiled struggle that would decide their fates. Whoever won would be the boss of Maple City's medicine hall for the next ten years.
Shi Wenjun's expression changed when she saw the two men enter. She didn't mind Chen Wenlin's arrival, but with Wu Chenwei's arrival, she couldn't keep her cool no matter how hard she tried.
After all, Wu Chenwei had hurt her deeply and had done unforgivable things to the Shi family.
She wanted to reprimand him but now wasn't the time.
Moreover, what had happened had already happened. No matter how much she struggled over it, it wouldn't change the past. Now was the Shi family's time to strike back so she had to hold it in.
With this in mind, Shi Wenjun stepped forward and said, "Lord Chen, for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend our Shi family's new pill launch, I welcome you with open arms."
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