Xu Xing did not drink alcohol, and according to Lin Yue's suggestion, she would have to act crazy after drinking. She was still a lady from a good family and needed to maintain her image. This was a welcome banquet, and it would be too embarrassing if she acted crazy.
Lin Yue quickly said, "Everything is ready now, only the east wind is missing. If there is no grain, you can forget about proceeding according to the plan. If the mission cannot be completed, I would like to know how you plan to fulfill your dream next."
Hearing this, Xu Xing knew that it was impossible to give up halfway. Having come this far, she had no choice but to sacrifice her reputation.
"Alright, I will cooperate with you then, but I can't drink too much. I'll try my best to control myself. If I act too crazy, remember to stop me," Xu Xing said helplessly.
Xu Xing imitated Shen Feng in many aspects, especially wanting to emulate his achievements, but she had few opportunities. In terms of drinking capacity, Xu Xing did not need to imitate Shen Feng at all, because her drinking capacity was also poor. Shen Feng could only handle one cup, and Xu Xing was the same.
Next, the high-ranking officials of Zhaotong led Lin Yue and Xu Xing to a luxurious hotel where a banquet had already been set up. As soon as they arrived, the hotel immediately served dishes, and various specialty foods were presented. Although Yuzhou was currently under blockade, the two ability users from Yuzhou had already appeared in Zhaotong. The locals had no way to deal with them, as ability users were basically concentrated in the major powers, and Zhaotong had no ability users at all.
When Xu Xing saw the food appear before her, her appetite was immediately whetted. The white rice porridge she had eaten in the morning had already been digested. Now that there were many delicacies, she naturally wanted to feast. Lin Yue was in a similar state. He had watched the video of "Boiled Cabbage in Broth" and knew that the most precious part of the dish was the broth. So, after entering the palace kitchen, Lin Yue directly scooped up the broth and drank it. The broth was indeed delicious, but the only drawback was that it did not fill his stomach. However, it was excreted as urine an hour later.
Now it was different. A sumptuous dinner was laid out before them, and it was a welcome banquet for them. With such treatment, Xu Xing and Lin Yue were very satisfied.
"Gentlemen, please! You must have been traveling all day and are certainly hungry. We have prepared a rich meal here, please enjoy it freely," said a middle-aged man first. He was the current chief official of Zhaotong and was very polite to Xu Xing and Lin Yue.
Xu Xing and Lin Yue were not polite. After sitting down, they began to eat. They had been hungry for two or three days, and now that there was so much delicious food, they did not need to be polite.
While Xu Xing and Lin Yue were eating and drinking heartily, the accompanying guests were also saying, "We absolutely understand your desire to uphold justice, but, heroes, we also ask you to understand our difficulties. We will absolutely support your actions, but we can only provide ten tons of grain, all of which is dried corn. Please do not think it is too little. You can take it away tomorrow."
Lin Yue said while eating, "But as far as I know, Zhaotong has not suffered any disasters in the past two years, so why would it be short of grain? It seems you do not trust the credit of our Yuzhou. We will definitely return the grain you lend us."
The implication was that Lin Yue found the amount of grain they could borrow too little. They needed at least five times that amount, and it would take at least one or two weeks to achieve victory.
"This is something you do not know. Because we are under the jurisdiction of the headquarters, we have not suffered any disasters, but the north has suffered. Our surplus grain has been allocated, so we only have enough grain for half a year. If you borrow too much, we will be unable to help," said the leader of Zhaotong.
Even so, ten tons of grain was like sending away a beggar. Xu Xing, while eating, felt dissatisfied. Ten tons of grain could not even fill a large truck. Such a small amount of grain was clearly an attempt to muddle through. It should be known that even Li Yiqiang, who was farther away, could bring a truckload of grain, but now, a neighboring place was unwilling to lend more, and instead kept complaining. Upon discovering this, Xu Xing was very displeased and picked up a bottle of wine from the side and began to drink.
The stopper of the wine bottle was made of cork, which could isolate air. Under normal circumstances, opening red wine required a corkscrew. However, once the wine bottle fell into Xu Xing's hands, Xu Xing merely exerted a little of her ability, and the bottle vibrated, causing the cork to be ejected.
Seeing that the other party was smiling but unwilling to budge on the issue of lending grain, Lin Yue cursed inwardly, "What a bunch of old foxes. They are treating us well while complaining, making it impossible for us to continue speaking. They are really difficult to deal with."
However, at this moment, Lin Yue had already thought of a solution. He then smiled and said, "Speaking of which, a few months ago, Meizhou auctioned ability potions. I wonder if you gentlemen have heard of it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone pricked up their ears. Ability users were so scarce globally now, and ability users obtained long lives. Longevity was something everyone pursued, so everyone paid close attention to news about ability potions. However, this item was typically available but not for sale. Even with money, it could not be purchased. Even Meizhou only auctioned five ability potions and then there was no more news. After obtaining the ability potions, who would want to auction them?
Seeing that he had piqued their interest, Lin Yue continued, "To be honest, I know some information about ability potions. Would you gentlemen like to know?"
The others also had their own sources of intelligence. Hearing Lin Yue's words, they immediately thought, "The ability potions originally came from your Yuzhou. You must know this information. Now you are using this information to play coy. This is truly a case of trying to cover up."
However, someone still cooperated and said, "We are willing to hear the details."
Lin Yue then said, "In fact, ability potions can indeed turn people into ability users. Even the worst ability users have undergone physical changes. It's not that ability users are no longer human. Ability users and humans can also have children, which proves that ability users are still within the scope of humanity. As long as one is an ability user, they can obtain a long life. Aging will be slowed down, the body will automatically clear harmful substances, and cell division ability will be enhanced, ultimately resulting in a long lifespan. Every ability user, if they live naturally, can at least live for three hundred years. With careful maintenance, they can even live for five hundred years."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present, regardless of their high position, became agitated. They had heard similar rumors before, but these rumors had no basis, and everyone was half-believing. Now, with Lin Yue, an ability user, saying this, it immediately added credibility to these rumors.
After hearing these words, many leaders could not help but ask, "Then what do you mean by this?"
Lin Yue smiled and said, "My meaning is very simple. We have an ability potion in our hands, and we are prepared to sell it. Referring to the auction price in Meizhou, one thousand tons of grain is the minimum bottom line. How about this, considering our acquaintance, I'll give you a discount. You only need eight hundred tons of grain, and we can sell it to you. This is a good choice, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xing's eyes widened. Looking at Lin Yue, she thought to herself, "Even though I've had a drink, I can't brag as much as you. You're just talking nonsense as soon as you open your mouth. We don't have any ability potions in our hands!"
Lin Yue's words immediately excited the leaders present. Those who could accompany them at this banquet were at least forty or fifty years old, and several of them were over fifty. Especially in the doomsday, the average lifespan had been declining rapidly. Even if these people ate evolution potions and became evolved individuals, their strength was not very good. As for lifespan, they were almost buried.
The existence of ability potions could directly extend the lives of everyone. Such a good thing had a strong attraction for everyone present.
The chief official of Zhaotong was named Hu Chengfeng. Judging by his surname, he was from an ethnic minority. The character "Hu" when used as a surname was actually pronounced "Mao." This was a change in pronunciation made by ancient people to avoid taboo, just like ancient people called tigers "great insects." In Sichuan Province, they were called "Mao Mao," and in Yunnan Province, they seemed to be called "wild cats," but all referred to tigers.
Now, Hu Chengfeng directly said, "Mr. Lin Yue, where is the ability potion? Can we see it first?"
As Hu Chengfeng said this, everyone immediately reacted. Indeed, they had not seen the real thing yet, so how could they agree immediately? In any case, they would agree after seeing the ability potion. Before seeing the real thing, they absolutely could not agree.
However, Lin Yue smiled and said, "I don't have it with me now, but as long as you give us the grain, we will be able to give you the ability potion in about ten days, because the ability potion is currently in Xue Ba's head."
When Lin Yue said this, everyone immediately understood what he meant. He wanted to pull a fast one, using a few words to get them to provide grain, and as for the ability potion, they could only get it after killing Xue Ba.
"Mr. Lin Yue, you are joking. You do not have any ability potions in your hands now, but you want to get eight hundred tons of grain with just a promise. We also have to consider the well-being of the people in our jurisdiction. If eight hundred tons of grain are given away, who knows how many people will have to eat wild vegetables? Then, even if you kill Xue Ba, how can we guarantee that we will get the ability potion?" Hu Chengfeng said directly.
The implication was that Hu Chengfeng did not believe Lin Yue and Xu Xing's promise. How could they take away eight hundred tons of grain with just a word?
Lin Yue smiled and looked at Xu Xing. Xu Xing was wolfing down food and drinking wine at the same time. While Lin Yue was talking with the other party, she ate to her heart's content. The hotel staff were also very sensible and kept bringing dishes. It was unimaginable that a girl could eat so much food. Now, Xu Xing had drunk a whole bottle of red wine, her face was flushed, and her eyes were hazy, clearly drunk.
Lin Yue knew that it was time to show his strength. He immediately said to Xu Xing, "Xu Xing, everyone here thinks that ability users are useless. Now, you prove the strength of ability users and let all the leaders recognize the power of ability users. So, you put on a show for everyone now!"
Although Xu Xing was drunk and dizzy, she had not forgotten her responsibility. She let out a hiccup and stood up, "Hic, I'll perform right away. Ladies and gentlemen, please witness the strength of ability users."
After speaking, Xu Xing leaped out of the window. She was on the fifth floor, but even the drunk Xu Xing was as light as a swallow. She landed lightly on the ground and was about to start acting crazy.